“A gloriously detailed, focused and concentrated rendition of Grenache”. - 99 points, James Suckling

“Terrific wine”. – 18 points, Jancis Robinson.com

Grenache is the most fashionable grape on the planet right now. It’s the ‘hero’ in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, where it famously makes up 100% of the unicorn wine, Chateau Rayas, but it’s not just in the Southern Rhone where it shines. In Spain it is the sole constituent of Comando G’s ‘Rumbo Al Norte’ (100 points) and Priorat’s ‘Clos Erasmus’ (100 points) and in California, Sine Qua Non have hit the perfect bullseye with ten different iterations of it, while no hipster worth his beard would be seen without a bottle of minimal-intervention Garnacha from the Gredos Mountains. Not to be outdone, Australia has chipped in with this magnificent expression, made by the great Steve Pannell (more below). We tasted it last week and it has the look and feel of a serious Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and if it were a Chateauneuf-du-Pape with 99-points, it certainly wouldn’t be £44.00 a bottle, so we think it deserves an honourable mention. Judging by the press reviews, we are not alone…

Press reviews:

James Suckling: “A gloriously detailed, focused and concentrated rendition of Grenache, this has a punchy and energetically youthful stance. The nose has such fresh and vivid raspberries and boysenberries, together with some red plums, floral bursts and a gently sappy edge. Such pure fruit here. The palate has a smooth outer layer that glazes compact, fine and layered tannins seamlessly. Super-fresh finish with bright acidity. The fruit power here is supercharged.” 99 points

JancisRobinson.com (Julia Harding MW): "Mid crimson. Minty and a touch leafy, openly fragrant. Distinctive in that leafiness. Minty and mouth-watering on the palate, refined but compact chalky tannins are totally woven in with the fruit. Lots of energy, freshness and length. Intense and tightly wound. Tannins and fruit inseparable. Dark, scented, finely textured finish. Terrific wine. Drink now-2030.” 18 points (one of the highest-ever-scoring Grenache wines on Jancis Robinson’s website)

Decanter: "First appearances can be deceptive. Subtle, shy aromas of savoury red berries draw you in but then on the palate, an unexpectedly firm seam of acidity forms the core around which a whirlpool of robust red fruits and blackberry hints swirl. Long and engaging. Matured in an old 4,200-litre French oak vat for eight months. Drink now-2038.” 96 points

Huon Hooke: “Deep red with a good purple tint and a ripe, rich, black-fruit and spice aromas with a patina of forest-floor and dried bayleaf that leads into a majestically full-bodied palate, loaded with flavour and tannin. Super-ripe berries and balsamic herbs. Concentration-plus. Serious Grenache indeed. Long-term keeping qualities. Impressive stuff.” 96 points

Steve Pannell

Steve Pannell is quite good at making wine. Before setting up his eponymous winery in 2004, he won the prestigious Jimmy Watson Trophy (Australia’s ultimate single wine prize) for the fabulous ‘Eileen Hardy Shiraz 1995’ and became the first person to win it twice, when he scooped it again for his own ‘Adelaide Hills Shiraz 2013’. He has worked at Chateau Mouton-Rothschild in Bordeaux and Domaine Dujac in Burgundy, his parents set up Moss Wood in Margaret River and he was included in Decanter Magazine’s ‘World’s Top 50 Winemakers’. For his own wines, Pannell sources fruit from low-yielding, often biodynamically-farmed and dry-farmed vines and uses open-top fermenters, natural yeasts, limited new oak, and minimal intervention.

His interest in Grenache began in the 1990s upon his arrival in McLaren Vale. The region's warm climate and iron-rich, red clay soil, similar to more famous Grenache-growing areas like the Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Priorat, suits Grenache vines down to the ground. Literally. The grapes for this wine were harvested from 79-year-old dry-grown vines in the ‘Old McDonald’ vineyard, located in Blewitt Springs.

The nerdy stuff:

Sourced from 79-year-old ungrafted vineyard in Blewitt Springs, facing south-west on iron-rich clay. Heritage-clone, dry-grown bush vines. 15 days on skins and fermented in an open-top fermenter – 20% whole bunch. 9 months in a single 4,000-litre French oak barrel. Unfiltered. TA 5.8 g/l, pH 3.45.