$34.00
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Region: McLaren Vale, SA
Grape: Grenache
First Glance: Fresh raspberry, blackberry, sweet liquorice, medium body
Acclaim: 92 points
Best New Winery Of The Year - James Halliday, Wine Companion Awards 2022
Living Roots is the joining of forces between Sebastian Hardy, great-great-great grandson of national icon Thomas Hardy, and New York-born Colleen. The young couple met at Hardy’s Tintara when Colleen worked as cellar hand during vintage in 2014, and in 2016 they started their own vinous joint venture. Uniquely, the two make wines both from South Australia and from the Finger Lakes district in New York state, with small winery operations and tasting rooms set up in Adelaide Hills and Rochester NY, respectively. The overall style is free-spirited and innovative, but always incredibly well-made, and the range constantly evolves with rolling vintages and fruit sources.
Grenache made in a fresh, vibrant style with minimal oak influence. Juicy cherry and plum flavours are balanced with spicy white pepper, a bit of savoury complexity, and soft tannins. Gnarly old bush vines bring dark fruits to the blend, while the ‘younger’ planting [still about 60 years old] contributes more confectionary characters. Fermented wild in 1-tonne picking bins, we incorporated some carbonic maceration and whole berries for pretty aromatics, lifted fruit and a soft mouthfeel.
The Review:
92 points, Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
McLaren Flat, Seaview vineyard sites.
Juicy, sloshy, softer style. Ripe raspberry, some liquorice, sweet earth, a little toasty character, tobacco too. Lovely, dryer style, good sheath of tannin and general drinkability. Pleasing, approachable grenache.
