TASTING NOTE

Savoury aromatics bay leaves, rocket and peppery spice rose petal and fragrant mint are complimented with cranberry and cherry fruit.

On the palate the wine shows savoury cherries and bright red berries along with mixed herbs a freshness of acidity and wet slate, minerally tannins.

VINTAGE

Weather conditions during spring were wet and windy which had an impact on flowering and resulted in small crops. Cool and wet conditions continued into early summer, but thankfully the rain stopped around Christmas time to allow the fruit to start to ripen and to keep the disease at bay. Harvest started much later than average due to the cooler conditions. Whilst we had to pick some of the reds around rain events they mostly ripened well with fresh and vibrant fruit flavours.

The 23 vintage wines are showing elegance and finesse, with fresh fruit flavours, fine tannins and good acidity.

VINEYARD

A single vineyard Grenache sourced from Bernard Smart’s vineyard in Clarendon, McLaren Vale. The dry grown bush vines were planted in 1922 on loamy soils over red-brown clay and bedrock. Vineyard is situated at 230m above sea level on a South-East facing slope.

WINEMAKING

Fruit was hand harvested, destemmed and whole berry sorted into stainless steel open fermenters. The whole berry ferment spent 9 days on skins, during which time it was gently plunged to ensure optimum extraction whilst maintaining the delicate aromatics. Wine was basket pressed off skins before maturation and malolactic fermentation on lees majority in stainless steel to retain fruit purity and freshness.

Vegan friendly.

FOOD PAIRING

Asian style braised beef

WINEMAKER

Renae Hirsch

REVIEWS

2023 VINTAGE

95 Points
Halliday Wine Companion, Marcus Ellis

"This was fermented, beginning as whole berries, then plunged over about 10 days and mostly matured in tank. The expressiveness of site and vintage is evident even at this early-bottled stage, if perhaps a tad shy presently. This is the palest and prettiest of the single-vineyard trio, with wild raspberry, redcurrant, sour cherry, cranberry, a hint of rose and dried orange peel, the feel engagingly savoury and refined, cinched by fine, skinsy tannins, chewy, sandy and pithy. This expands beautifully with air and promises to be singing on release."

2022 VINTAGE

Gold Medal - 95 Points
2023 Melbourne Royal Wine Awards

94 Points
The Real Review - Huon Hooke

"Brilliant, electric purple colour; the aromas leap from the glass with pepper, clove and other fragrant spices amongst the dark-fruit aromas. The wine is medium-full bodied and well endowed with cleansing tannins and deep flavour. A superb Grenache that drinks well now and will richly reward keeping."

92 Points
Halliday Wine Companion, Ned Goodwin

“The highest, coolest and arguably the most famous site for grenache in the Vale. Old, dry-grown bush vines. Thirst-slaking tannins bridge the attack and a chewy, ferrous finish, the framework in which blood plum, bergamot, kirsch, dried thyme and lilac carouse. I'd like a bit more stuffing to this; more mid-palate density. Yet there is plenty of energy suffused with nourishing tannins and drinkability in spades. Lots to like.”

The Financial Review - Max Allen

"The 2021 vintage of this wine (out now) is very good (after all, it took out the trophy for best grenache at this year’s National Wine Show in Canberra), but I think the 2022 (out soon) is even better: where the ’21 is all open-textured, earthy and dusty-herbal, with powdery tannins (reflecting the loamier soils and more exposed nature of the Smart vineyard), the ’22 has purer, more focused red berry fruit intensity, and finer, tighter, more structured tannins."