$28.00
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Region: Barossa Valley
Grapes: Cinsault (39%), Grenache (33%), Syrah (19%), Mourvedre (8%)
First Glance: Dark Fruited, Baking Spices, Fresh Acid
The Wine:
69% or thereabouts from the Vine Vale sub-region, sandy soils as is the Mourvèdre portion in Ebenezer which lends greater aromatic lift out of the glass and a lighter, fresher feeling on the palate. The 2022 Pinata follows a similar mode to that of the 2021 version given that both summers were notably milder. However the 2022 sees a slight decrease in Cinsault and decent increases in the Grenache portions, partly due to the vintage in the sense that Grenache crops were better than years previous. With the increase in Grenache portions, there was an increase in whole bunch fermentation to give the Grenache a little more upfront palate depth whilst picking a little earlier to preserve acidity and keep the blend tight.
Aroma flavours dart around the from the darker spectrum of plums, cherries and chocolate cake batter to fresher raspberry, vanilla, pomegranate and cranberries. The framework of the wine is nice and full upfront, but then tails away to nice fresh acidity with a bed of drying, fine tannins. As is the case with cooler vintages there is an increase in white spice that sits nicely in the background, along with the five spice characters that are there from year to year. Perhaps the year and/or the increase in whole bunch ferments, there's a touch of sapidity to the tannins at the close, leaving you with a pomegranate, cherry pith like lingering feeling…
