Australia · McLaren Vale

S.C. Pannell

A South Australian producer matching Nebbiolo, Aglianico, Grenache and Shiraz to four named vineyards.

The producer

Stephen Pannell and Fiona Lindquist established S.C. Pannell in 2004. Pannell’s earlier work in Burgundy, Bordeaux and Barolo, followed by a decade at BRL Hardy, precedes a range built around named South Australian sites: Nebbiolo in the Adelaide Hills, Aglianico at Olivers Road, Grenache in Blewitt Springs and Shiraz at Upper Tintara. Each bottle starts with the relationship between grape and vineyard rather than one uniform red-wine style.

Old McDonald Grenache makes that approach tangible. The 2021 single-vineyard release fermented in a stainless-steel open-top fermenter with regular pump-overs and 20% whole bunches, spent 15 days on skins, then completed malolactic fermentation in an old French-oak vat. That handling puts Grenache fruit alongside dry tannin, spice and texture without relying on overt new-oak flavour.

Known for

Site-led South Australian reds, from Adelaide Hills Nebbiolo and Blewitt Springs Grenache to Upper Tintara Shiraz.

Notable facts

The story

Four vineyards after a new beginning

In 2004, Stephen Pannell and Fiona Lindquist established S.C. Pannell after Pannell had worked at wineries in Burgundy, Bordeaux and Barolo, then spent a decade at BRL Hardy, mostly as Chief Red Winemaker. The label began before its vineyard collection was complete. Over the next nine years, Pannell and Lindquist gradually acquired four vineyards: a Nebbiolo site in the Adelaide Hills, Aglianico at Olivers Road, Grenache in Blewitt Springs and Shiraz at Upper Tintara. Upper Tintara later became the home of Koomilya, the producer’s single-vineyard Shiraz expression, while Protero in the Adelaide Hills took its varietal direction from the success of Nebbiolo.

From the atlas

S.C. Pannell

At A Glance

S.C. Pannell is a South Australian producer founded in 2004 by Stephen Pannell and Fiona Lindquist. Four vineyards acquired over nine years supply a range built around grape-and-place pairings: Nebbiolo in the Adelaide Hills, Aglianico at Olivers Road, Grenache in Blewitt Springs and Shiraz at Upper Tintara. The result is not one uniform red-wine style, but bottles shaped by the variety chosen for each named site.

The Producer

Stephen Pannell is co-owner and winemaker. Before starting the label with Lindquist, he worked in Burgundy, Bordeaux and Barolo, then spent a decade at BRL Hardy, mostly as Chief Red Winemaker. That route leads to a producer whose wines move between Italian varieties, Grenache and Australian Shiraz, with vineyard name and grape carrying as much meaning on the label as the regional address.

Place

South Australia is the shared frame, but the wines are spread across distinct named places. Adelaide Hills is paired with Nebbiolo at Protero; Blewitt Springs with Grenache; Olivers Road with Aglianico; and Upper Tintara with Shiraz. A bottle therefore begins with a practical question: which grape is planted at which site? Koomilya answers it most directly, as an Upper Tintara single-vineyard Shiraz.

Soil And Site

The estate’s site information is expressed through those vineyard names and grape choices rather than a detailed account of soil, slope or elevation. That makes the bottle names useful: Protero points to Adelaide Hills Nebbiolo, while Koomilya points to Upper Tintara Shiraz. The range asks the glass to show differences between places through variety, fruit shape, tannin and weight, rather than through a generic South Australian house style.

Story

Pannell and Lindquist established S.C. Pannell after Stephen Pannell’s work in European regions and at a large Australian winery. They then became custodians of four vineyards, acquired gradually over nine years. The decisive move was toward a small collection of site-led grapes: Nebbiolo where it had proved successful at Protero, Grenache at Blewitt Springs, Aglianico at Olivers Road and Shiraz at Upper Tintara. That structure allows a South Australian range to include red wines with different bodies, tannin profiles and food roles.

Vineyards And Cellar

The 2021 Old McDonald Grenache shows the cellar work in unusually clear detail. Fruit fermented in a stainless-steel open-top fermenter with regular pump-overs and 20% whole bunches, then remained on skins for 15 days before gentle pressing. After 20 days settling in tank, the wine went to an old French-oak vat for malolactic fermentation. Open-top handling and skin contact keep the Grenache’s juice in contact with skins for colour and tannin; whole bunches can bring a lifted, spicy edge, while old oak is less likely to cover the fruit with overt new-oak flavour.

Wines

The range is organised as a series of vineyard-and-grape propositions. Protero is the Adelaide Hills branch, where Nebbiolo shaped the vineyard’s varietal direction; expect a grape associated with firm tannin and acidity rather than a broad, soft red. Olivers Road carries Aglianico, another variety valued for structure and savoury depth. Blewitt Springs provides Grenache, including the single-vineyard Old McDonald release, where open-top fermentation, whole bunches and 15 days on skins build texture around the fruit.

Upper Tintara is the Shiraz address. Koomilya is presented as its single-vineyard expression and sits within the tradition of Australian Shiraz, so it belongs at the more structured, darker-fruited end of the collection. Dead End McLaren Vale Tempranillo adds another red-wine route: its name and vineyard account identify Tempranillo, a grape whose moderate body and savoury tannin offer a different shape from Shiraz or Grenache.

In The Glass

Across these wines, start with grape before chasing a single house aroma. Grenache can bring red-fruit perfume and a lighter-bodied feel, while the Old McDonald method adds skin-derived grip and whole-bunch spice to the palate. Nebbiolo and Aglianico naturally direct attention toward acidity and tannin: the fruit is held inside a firmer frame, with a dry, savoury finish rather than immediate softness. Upper Tintara Shiraz moves toward more weight and dark-fruit depth, with tannin and body carrying the finish.

The point of tasting side by side is the contrast in structure. Grenache can feel more open through the middle; Nebbiolo and Aglianico can tighten the palate with acidity and grip; Shiraz can broaden the body. Each wine’s finish follows from that combination of grape, named vineyard and cellar handling.

A Bottle To Understand It

Start with the 2021 Old McDonald Grenache. It is a single-vineyard Grenache with a documented sequence of stainless-steel open-top fermentation, regular pump-overs, 20% whole bunches, 15 days on skins, gentle pressing and malolactic fermentation in an old French-oak vat. In the glass, look for red-fruit aroma, whole-bunch spice, dry tannin and a textured finish rather than a heavy oak profile. It puts Grenache, vineyard specificity and a concrete cellar method in one bottle.

Anecdote

In 2004, Stephen Pannell and Fiona Lindquist established S.C. Pannell. Pannell had already worked at wineries in Burgundy, Bordeaux and Barolo, then spent a decade at BRL Hardy, mostly as Chief Red Winemaker. The new label was not built around a single inherited vineyard: over the following nine years, he and Lindquist gradually acquired four vineyards. Those holdings came to include Nebbiolo in the Adelaide Hills, Aglianico at Olivers Road, Grenache in Blewitt Springs and Shiraz at Upper Tintara, with Koomilya later presented as the Upper Tintara single-vineyard Shiraz expression.

Final Word

S.C. Pannell is worth seeking out for the way its labels connect a grape to a named South Australian site. Begin with Old McDonald Grenache for texture, spice and dry grip; move to Koomilya when the appetite is for the weight and tannin of Upper Tintara Shiraz.

Sources

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