Langton’s Selections Mitchell Watervale Riesling, Mitchell Peppertree Vineyard Shiraz, Mitchell Sevenhill Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Mitchell McNicol Shiraz Mitchell is the quintessential boutique winery, located in picturesque Skillogalee Valley near Sevenhill in the Clare Valley. It was established by Andrew and Jane Mitchell during the mid 1970s and quickly became something of a favourite among wine collectors as a result of succesful early show results and national reviews. Its cosy cellar door and friendly welcome made it an early wine tourist destination. The Mitchells, a longstanding Clare grapegrowing family, have substantial vineyard holdings in Watervale, Sevenhill and Auburn elevated between 300 and 400 metres. The Mitchell Watervale Riesling vineyard, set on exposed eastern slopes, was planted in 1962 and is dry grown on red, loamy soils over limestone. The pruning teams have given this vineyard the nickname Alcatraz because the work is like a prison sentence. The fruit is handpicked on flavour development, optimum ripeness, crushed, drained, and cold settled before fermentation over a 10 day period.
Arguably one of the top 5 Riesling producers in Australia, the Watervale Riesling (now bottled under screw cap) is extraordinary, as much for its superb fruit definition and minerality as its value. In recent vintages, this wine has become as good as Grosset’s Watervale Riesling, but at half the price. Mitchell Peppertree Vineyard Shiraz takes its name from a Peppertree located in the unirrigated Shiraz vineyard at Watervale. The grapes are cold macerated prior to vinification in open slate fermenters (originally mined form the Mintaro slate quarries nearby). The wine is matured in small, 20% new French and American oak barriques for 18 months. The result is always reliable, with high-pitched anise/liquorice and blackberry aromas, ripe tannins and flavours – another seriously undervalued wine. The Sevenhill Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon has a strikingly pure fruit profile and underlying new French oak. Andrew and Jane Mitchell run Mitchell as a formidable partnership with a deep commitment to the Clare Valley and its prosperity. The wines are not particularly strong performers on the market and come up only occasionally. However, they are beautifully made and have all the hallmarks of their origin, an increasingly important concept when it comes to wine collecting. The McNicol Shiraz (Jane’s maiden name) is an aged release Shiraz that has yet to achieve critical momentum. Andrew Caillard MW, Langton's