Baterista Shiraz

The Baterista, or the drummer, is used by cultures from around the world to create a sense of unity or harmony with rhythm, the foundation to all music and the manifestation of time. Rhythm is defined as a strong pattern of sounds, words, or musical notes, used in music, poetry, and dancing and has always been integral to human kind. We believe there is also rhythm in organic farming, a spiritual-ethical-ecological approach that promotes harmony of all living matter. Organic farming produces socially responsible vineyards of extraordinary health producing high quality wines. The health of our vineyards thrives on the rhythm of life and matter that lies beneath the soil. The Baterista & the Grape farmer are keepers of the rhythm of life. Rhythm is energy and energy is life.

This Shiraz is made from Paxton’s prestigious Jones Block vineyard, which are over 50 years old vines. It is a hand-picked, hand crafted, small batch production of only 768 bottles for the 2020 vintage which uses the best, specially selected barrels of vintage from our premium Jones Block.

The Paxton’s met Ronnie Vannucci Jr through a friend named Dr. Tim Jones, Professor of Percussion at UNLV School of Music in Las Vegas who grew up in McLaren Vale with Ben Paxton, David’s son. “My former college professor and great friend introduced us years ago. We share a mutual admiration for what each other do, (well at least I admire what they do) and we wanted to help each other. A simple collaboration!” said Ronnie. Tim introduced Ronnie to Paxton Wines and visited the winery on a Killers tour through Australia in 2016. “We were introduced years ago and it was very easy friendship. We couldn’t stop finishing each others sentences.”

Ronnie said, “I do love wine, and especially great wine like the ones Paxton produces. They’re unique and have an unusual passion for doing things with a real earth centric focus. In short, they care, and it shows. Meeting like-minded people with a passion for crafting something that takes time is attractive to me. It’s a treat to be involved because I know there are others out there, like me, who appreciate this kind of devotion and level of near magic and I want it to be available so they can enjoy it, too” Paxton is a certified organic and biodynamic winery that practices sustainable, regenerative farming as well as single vineyard made wines with top pedigree and quality. Paxton Wines describe their wines as “Wines With Life”. These practices focus on soil health and regeneration for the future as well as vitality in the vineyard which creates a rhythm of life in Paxton’s vineyards. Ronnie also added, “I believe passionately in organic, biodynamic and sustainable farming and do my part to support sustainability in how I live and consume. The older I get, I swear, the more the hippie dippy shit makes sense! Life has an actual rhythm to it. You just have to be careful not to lose the beat!“, which enhanced his interest in the winery. And we at Paxton all are sincere music lovers, some of us are musicians and we really enjoy Ronnie’s music and drumming work in The Killers, so there was a clear synergy with each other’s crafts and the project idea was born. “I want people who appreciate great sustainable wine making to know about Paxton. However that I’m able to help I will and so this collaboration made sense. I was able to find a way to bring some of my favorite wine I’ve ever had to this side of the world. As long as people enjoy it, we’ll continue to bring it to market”

If you were to ask what are our objectives with this project, I would say we want to bring a wider awareness to the importance of chemical free, organic, sustainable, regenerative farming and encouraging farmers and producers firstly for our beloved environment and planet. We would like to showcase the excellence in quality and the exceptional results that can be achieved as well. Clean, direct, true, vibrant, expressive ‘healthy’ fruit are the core advantages biodynamic wines have over conventional wines. The use of chemicals in farming impacts health indirectly by disrupting ecosystems and communities. The compounds can contaminate groundwater and harm people and wildlife that live near vineyards. Chemical use is also believed to result in weakened vines, lower yields and even less- nutritious fruit.

Most can agree that we need to adopt on a larger scale, an ‘Earth First’ approach to farming and recognise that we need to continue to do everything that we can as custodians of our planet to do what’s best for our future. Biodynamics ultimately embraces the best way for today and also sets up for growth and success in the future, or future proofing the vineyards. If anything, we hope that this project can help grow the awareness and message that organic and biodynamic farming is feasible for farmers and that if we want to reduce harmful affects, reduce chemical use in farming and global warming. Today’s consumers are conscious of what they are consuming and more and more are supporting companies and products that are doing what’s best for the naturally made products and for Mother. It all starts with the decisions that consumers make when shopping. If we are able to drive consumers to purchase these products, then retailers around the world will further embrace what we are doing and we can make great progress forward for our future. We want to show that the wine industry needs to further adopt these farming and production philosophies as our industries have. And that it also does in fact make incredible premium wine as well. We are very proud of the Baterista and feel that wine consumers will agree, its an exceptional example of a premium single vineyard, hand crafted Shiraz from McLaren Vale and shows great depth and complexity and the true purity of fruit and vitality in organic, biodynamic wine making.

• RegionMcLaren Vale, South Australia
• Vintage2020
• TypeRed Wine
• VarietyShiraz
• Vegan Friendly✔
• Organic Wine✔
• Volume750ml
• Alcohol Volume14%
• PH

  3.36

• Standard Drinks8.3
• Acidity

  6.96

• Sugar

  3.9

• ClosureScrewCap
• Vintage Notes

  2020 posed many challenges throughout Australia. Another intense drought year through the growing season was followed by one of the most devastating bushfire seasons this country has ever seen. Fortunately McLaren Vale was largely unaffected by this devastation and the early signs indicate 2020 to be a very special vintage; one to savour. Moderate weather throughout the harvest period, combined with lower yields allowed the flavours to develop harmoniously and in balance. Varietal expression was excellent with the wines showing intense flavour without excessive tannin or alcohol. Tempranillo and Graciano are showing lovely bright fruit and pepper characters and it will be intriguing to see how they develop after time in bottle.

• Tasting Notes

  Paxton 2020 Baterista Tasting Note.pdf

• Colour

  Royal Velvet

• Bouquet

  This Shiraz emanates sophistication with its nuanced aromas. Boysenberry jam and dried cranberries intertwine with subtle notes of thyme, clove, and sandalwood from delicate French oak aging. It's like the opening chords of a favourite song, building anticipation with each note.

• Palate

  Picture yourself in McLaren Vale, surrounded by vineyards in the heart of winter. Surprisingly buoyant, with a hint of gravelly tannins, this Shiraz envelops the palate with warmth and depth, leaving an enduring impression reminiscent of the rich soil and gentle breeze of the region. It's like the pulsating rhythm of a drumbeat, steady and reassuring, like the heart of a classic tune by The Killers.

• Peak Drinking / Cellaring Potential

  GOOD: Winter 2025 BETTER: Winter 2028 BEST: 2029—2034

• Vinification

  Delicately selected and hand-picked in the cool of the morning, destemmed with care and fermented in small-batch open fermenters for up to 20 days on skins. Pressed straight into high calibre French oak for a minimum of 18 months, only the most spectacular barrels are selected by the winemaker for this exclusive blend. Another two years ageing in bottle before release with only 768 bottles produced.

• Winemaker

  Ashleigh Seymour

• Music Match

  Dying Breed — The Killers