HEAD Wines HEAD Red Grenache 2023

Look at you – all perfumed and come-hither in the glass! What a great little wine for the price. A blend of 97/3% grenache/mataro sourced across a number of parishes – Bethany, Krondorf, Ebenezer and Nuriootpa – with a slinky 5% whole bunch. Red and dark cherry and plums dusted with gingery spice, dried raspberries, medina spice, blossom, mulberry and earth. Ditto on the palate, which is pure with a slight savoury lean. Fine pumice-stone tannins and a plume of spice and red fruit as it fades. Points: 93/100

Halliday Wine Companion ∙ 3rd Sep 2025

The fruit here comes from four old vineyards across the Barossa. The wine is designed for immediate gratification. The vineyards, across Bethany, Krondorf and two in the sub-region of Ebenezer, were planted between 1942 and 1970. A dollop of whole bunches was included and there is also 3% Mataro forming part of the blend. Alex suggests a brief chill for full enjoyment. 700 cases. A little comparable to what one imagines drinking a glass of silk would be like. We have notes of kirsch, raspberries, mulberries and cherries, with dried herbs and bright acidity. Persistent style, fresh and youthful, with appealing balance. A Grenache of finesse and a pleasure to drink now, but I would not hesitate to put some away for the rest of the decade, if one felt inclined. Points: 94/100

Wine Pilot ∙ 7th Jun 2025

Medium-full red-purple colour; attractive fruit-driven aroma of red-cherry/raspberry bonbons. The wine is medium bodied and well endowed with tannins which are firm and mouth-coating, giving it a solid structure. The intensity and boldness suggest some ageing would be rewarded. Not that complex as yet, but has a future. Points: 90/100

The Real Review ∙ 22nd Sep 2024