$47.90 $54.99
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Region: McLaren Vale
Grapes: Grenache
First Glance: Lacy, Red Fruited, Fine Boned, Structured
Acclaim: 95pts
The Wine:
Sourced exclusively from 13.3 hectares of un-irrigated bush vines planted in 1946. Hand-picked between 17-24th March, selectively sorted in the winery. Gently destemmed, 50% crushed, 50% whole berries retained. Wild yeast fermentation in stainless steel. A very gentle pump over regime, often just wetting the cap. Some extended macerating where taming or polishing of tannin required and in some cases up to 7 months. No pressings used. Maturation in a mixture of old French and Austrian oak foudre and puncheons, ceramic egg and amphora. Certified Organic/Biodynamic. Bottled February 2024.
These gnarly strugglers were planted in 1946 in a deep sandy dune we call The Beach, overlying the North Maslin Sands geological formation. The Old Vine Grenache is a complex, perfumed and elegant wine with a trademark tannin structure.
The Review:
Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front - 95pts
"It feels nervy at first but it quickly settles and even before it has, a net of tannin has expanded and taken control. This grenache, even as it prances and skits, knows that it’s going to be good. It shows raspberry, cranberry and pomegranate characters, pippy and fruity, light and not light, a fish that can fly across the surface even as it dives for the deep. There’s a cleanliness to this wine but not a sterility; it presents its character in fresh, clean, intertwined lines. At $50 this wine remains a gift; intricacy of fruit, tannin and texture of this nature is rarely within such reach."
