Stephen Pannell and CellarHand have shared a lot of firsts. When the time came for Steve to release wines under his own label over 20 years ago, it was Patrick and Gin Walsh’s relatively young portfolio that he trusted with his name.
From the first wines flowed the first accolades. The first accolades were followed by a second Jimmy Watson, around the time his first vineyard in McLaren Vale entered the fold. That was duly followed by the first Koomilya. Then came Stephen’s first Nebbiolo as the proud owner of the Protero vineyard in the Adelaide Hills. Next came a first Grenache from the Pannells’ own vines in Blewitt Springs, named Little Branch to honour his wife, Fiona Lindquist, and her pivotal role in all this success.
Little Branch then earned a first Wine Advocate 100-point score for his Sunrise 99 Grenache. And from there—some years after his first Winemaker of the Year award—came a first Vigneron of the Year crown. It was a special milestone in the metamorphosis of that hyper-focused, prodigiously talented young winemaker into a seasoned winegrower with a panoramic view of vine-to-glass grape farming from a vantage point at the pinnacle of his craft.
We’ve celebrated every first, as have many of you, and the drive to keep setting new standards never ceases to inspire us. In its third release, Little Branch Grenache has become first among equals in Australia’s extraordinarily strong field of single-site Grenache wines. The phenomenal 2024 release proves as much.
And then another first. Sunset 100 is here, the shimmering twilight mirroring its twin single-block bottling from the vines that face the rising sun on the sanctified sands of Blewitt Springs. In 2023, the 104-year-old bush vines for these two incredible bottlings notched up a century of harvests.
Just as those ancient plants have their best years ahead, you can be sure unimagined feats lie in store for Stephen and Fiona.
But first, let’s toast another incredible release of horizon-busting Australian Grenache.
The Wines
A majestic grenache that will reward long-term cellaring, but also gives great pleasure now. 97 points.
Huon Hooke, The Real Review
2024 S.C. Pannell Little Branch Grenache RRP $91
We grew the fruit on Little Branch Vineyard in Blewitt Springs, which Fiona and I purchased in 2021. The vines sit on 50-million-year-old soils comprising Maslin Beach Sands flecked with ironstone at 140m above sea level.
Those close to me know that Fiona has always been my greatest supporter and ally. Very few, however, realise the support and care Fiona’s family has given me, especially her parents, Malcolm and Antoinette Lindquist, whose belief in our dreams has been unwavering. It’s fitting, then, to honour the people who have been there for me. Lindquist is a Swedish name and translates to ‘Linden twig’. With a bit of creative licence, we took the translation and named our Blewitt Springs Grenache vineyard ‘Little Branch’. This is the third vintage of this special wine.
The 2024 rendition comprises one-third from 1920-planted bush vines from the Sunset Block, one-third from 1920-planted bush vines from the Sunrise Block, and one-third from trellised vines on Block 1. The fruit was harvested on 8th, 9th and 10th February 2024. Fermentation lasted 11, 12 and 15 days. The wine matured for 12 months in six 500-litre old French puncheons. Malolactic conversion was completed in June 2024, and the wine was bottled without fining at the start of April,2025. Alcohol 14%; pH 3.50; TA 5.7g/L; total sulphur 57ppm.
This is the first Little Branch Grenache release to include portions of the 1920-planted Sunrise and Sunset blocks. The inclusion of the old-vine parcels has certainly added depth, complexity and intensity of aroma/flavour, as well as more tannin. The wine is highly perfumed, with raspberry, cranberry, dark cherry, blood orange, dried rose petals and hints of sage and wet earth. The wine is darker, richer and more layered than either the 2022 or 2023. It is a captivating, complex, medium-bodied wine with beautiful, supple tannins and a persistent finish.– Stephen Pannell
Good depth of red-purple colour; sweetly perfumed scent of dried flowers, dried herbs and ironstone, the palate powerfully concentrated and profoundly flavoured, with a fruit-sweet core and a big cushion of tannins, the entirety building towards a climactic finish that rolls on very long and satisfying. A majestic grenache that will reward long-term cellaring, but also gives great pleasure now. 97 points. Huon Hooke, The Real Review Aug 2026
Magnificent wine, with solid ageing potential. 98 points.
Huon Hooke, The Real Review
2023 S.C. Pannell Sunrise 100 Grenache RRP $250
The fruit was sourced from Block 5 of the Little Branch Vineyard in Blewitt Springs, from 104-year-old bush vines planted on sandy loam with ironstone and quartz at 140 metres above sea level. The vineyard faces north and is unirrigated, managed organically, with all pruning and harvesting completed by hand.
Harvest began on 20th March, marking the Sunrise Block’s 100th vintage. Whole berries were gently shaken from the rachis and transferred to a seasoned 4,000-litre French oak fermenter for twice-daily pumpovers. The wine was gently pressed on 31st March, settled in tank for 19 days, then racked off gross lees into seasoned French oak puncheons for malolactic conversion and maturation. It was racked once before being bottled unfined and unfiltered on 4th July 2023. Alcohol 14.5%; pH 3.41; TA 5.7g/L; total sulphur 72ppm.
Highly perfumed, deep, and vivacious, the wine opens with aromas of cranberry, cherry, and raspberry, complemented by hints of rose, bergamot and white pepper spice. The palate is focused and refined, with incredible length and tension. Dense flavours of forest berries and pomegranate are wound around savoury, earthy, ferruginous tannins, while a lingering Earl Grey tea character carries through the finish. An elegant wine of great finesse and delicacy. – Stephen Pannell
The second release from this home vineyard in Blewitt Springs. The 100 here references 100 years of vintages from these vines (omitting the fledgling unproductive years). All destemmed fruit, old oak, frugal quantities. This sits in a moodier, brooding zone – refined and unadorned, though – with dark red fruits corded into a structure of assertive natural tannin and energetic acidity. Air reveals dried cranberry and cherry, raspberry leaf tea, subdued souk spices, tobacco leaf, rusted iron, dried rose, bergamot, a brooding malty note, like dark rye bread. It’s a wine of many layers, so closely serried that they are initially easy to miss. That compression, the complex weave of tannin, the vibrant drive of acid all mark this as a wine that will age spectacularly. 98 points. Marcus Ellis, Halliday Wine Companion July 2026
Excellent deep, bright red-purple colour. Reserved aromas of dark chocolate, darker fruits in the background, a lacing of dried herbs overlying it, growing more and more fragrant and detailed as it aired. The wine is full-bodied and firmly concentrated, with a density and grip that protein-rich food would easily accommodate. Great concentration with great balance. This is a brooding grenache that still begs for time to reveal itself fully, and really responds to decanting and breathing. Magnificent wine, with solid ageing potential. 98 points. Huon Hooke, The Real Review Aug 2026
Such beauty, such intrigue. A wine to sit back and admire; great by any measure. 98 points.
Marcus Ellis, Halliday Wine Companion
2023 S.C. Pannell Sunset 100 Grenache RRP $250
The fruit was sourced from Block 6 of the Little Branch Vineyard in Blewitt Springs, from 104-year-old bush vines planted on sandy loam with ironstone and quartz at 140 metres above sea level. The north–south rows are exposed to the warmer westerly afternoon sun. The unirrigated vineyard is managed organically, with all pruning and harvesting completed by hand.
Harvest began on 21st March, marking the Sunset Block’s 100th vintage. Whole berries were gently shaken from the rachis and transferred to a seasoned 5,000-litre French oak fermenter for twice-daily pumpovers. The wine was gently pressed on 1st April, settled in tank for 19 days, then racked off gross lees into seasoned French oak puncheons for malolactic conversion and maturation. It was racked once before being bottled unfined and unfiltered on 4th July 2023. Alcohol: 14.5%; pH 3.39; TA 6g/L; total sulphur 73ppm.
A concentrated dark-fruited profile of black cherry, blackcurrant and plum is layered with hints of leather, red earth and dark cocoa. The palate is super-intense and glistening, with a rich, densely layered core and remarkable depth of flavour. Long, fine, rustic tannins wrap around flavours of blackberry, sour cherry and spicy panforte, creating a powerful yet complex wine that continues to evolve in the glass and reward attention. – Stephen Pannell
Missing in ’22, this is the debut pair to the Sunrise, with these centenarian vines catching the afternoon sun. Two blocks, same material, same age, quite different wines, though kindred. While the Sunrise is a little coiled, a little within itself, this is expressive and lifted, yet no less a wine of future promise. Steve Pannell likes a nebbiolo comparison for grenache, and while that often feels akin to Langhe Nebbiolo or Barbaresco in McLaren Vale, here Barolo is a more apt touchstone. Warm terracotta, papery faded flowers, pomegranate, blood orange, cherry, rosehip, star anise, dried orange peel, dried black cherry, sun-drenched wild fennel seeds. So much going on. A truly stellar wine, resting on a foundation of vigorous but cohesive acidity and a classically ensnaring web of complex natural tannins with resounding length of flavour. A wine of place, and one that I had open for four days without it tiring, rather further revealing itself. Such beauty, such intrigue. A wine to sit back and admire; great by any measure. 98 points. Marcus Ellis, Halliday Wine Companion July 2026
Good depth of colour with a brightness and purple tints, and the highly aromatic bouquet has red fruit, cherry clafoutis and spice aromas, the palate full bodied and very firm, loaded with drying but not unbalanced tannins, but suggesting it needs food and will team well with hearty protein. This is just a baby, just emerging from its shell. Wonderful drinking now but will surely bring more to the table with more time. 97 points. Huon Hooke, The Real Review Aug 2026
