Region: McLaren Vale Grapes: Grenache First Glance: Fine Boned, Seamless Tannin, Lifted, Elegant Acclaim: 96pts
The Wine: Sourced from the 1970 planted Grenache block from our Rayner Vineyard planted on sand. This block is dry-grown and managed organically. We have found that the vines on the western side of this block yield much lower and produce smaller berries and bunches. They also face gently east, so miss out on the hot, late afternoon sun in the summer months. We mark out these vines prior to harvest so the hand-pickers know which ones to pick specifically for this wine.
We really want the Rayner Grenache to be pretty-yet-savoury, and generally a more elegant expression of the variety. We believe that this is what our 1970 block wants to produce so we just try to let it express itself as best we can. To help achieve this we pick a little earlier than some would in order to catch the red fruits and herb. We also want this wine to be long lived, to have a tightness and structure for age. To help with this we use some whole bunch (around 20% total) for some extra tannin from stalks. This also gives us extra layers of complexity to the wine. Hand-picked fruit, wild yeast ferments, 20% whole bunches, fermented and aged for around 6 months in ceramic eggs and old French barrels. Unfined, unfiltered.
The Review: Ned Goodwin MW, Halliday Wine Companion - 96pts ”A showcase of persimmon, Seville orange and the pithiest pucker from a sour cherry I am yet to experience. Raspberry bon-bon shifts to the domineering flavour with air. The tannins, white pepper-clad and moreish. Sandy, saline and gritty. Very fine. A protean expression, shifting endlessly with air to a succulent vibrato. Entrenched in the pantheon of the Vale.”
