Very deep, bold and bright purple-red colour, with a spice-box bouqet that includes pepper, clove, dried herbs and lead pencil, the palate full-bodied and well rounded with abundant but not overbearing tannins that provide very good framework. A rich concentrated and densely packed red that will age superbly. Points: 94/100
A blend of 42/33/25% grenache/shiraz/mourvèdre. Gentle extraction across a variety of regimes, with some extended skin contact for parcels of grenache; matured for 11 months in a mix of older French puncheons, foudre, ceramic eggs and amphorae. This is the wine to drink while the Old Vine Grenache slumbers for a few years yet. There’s the tannin drive and savoury cast of grenache from the vintage still, but the shiraz contributes some prettier red fruits (usually the other way around, perhaps, but such seems the year). Cherry, sour plum, dried raspberry, scrubby herbs, struck iron, brown cardamom and mace. This, too, could rest for a bit before broaching, but it’s fine drinking either way. Points: 93/100
A blend of 42/33/25% grenache/shiraz/mourvèdre. Gentle extraction across a variety of regimes, with some extended skin contact for parcels of grenache; matured for 11 months in a mix of older French puncheons, foudre, ceramic eggs and amphorae. This is the wine to drink while the Old Vine Grenache slumbers for a few years yet. There’s the tannin drive and savoury cast of grenache from the vintage still, but the shiraz contributes some prettier red fruits (usually the other way around, perhaps, but such seems the year). Cherry, sour plum, dried raspberry, scrubby herbs, struck iron, brown cardamom and mace. This, too, could rest for a bit before broaching, but it’s fine drinking either way. Points: 93/100
Ferrous, nicely reductive and very savory, boasting grilled meats, camphor, iodine and cloves. A very earthy GSM, far from the fruitier Aussie norm. Plenty to like. From biodynamically grown grapes. Points: 92/100
