Two Grenache vineyards. One in the Eden Valley, the vines now over 150 years old (remarkably). The other in the northern Barossa, also very old. Open fermented with a small percentage of whole bunches. 250 dozen. No new oak... Exquisite Grenache. Fruit-driven at heart but spicy and svelte to boot. Drinking it, to steal a line from Bonnie Tyler, is like living in a powder keg and giving off sparks. It runs a smooth line of flavour from start to finish but keeps flinging tangents of flavour here and there as it goes. Excellent. Drink to 2025.
94 points, Wine Front (7/2018).
"From two very old low-yielding Barossa vineyards, one in the Northern Barossa, one in the Eden Valley over 150yo, open-fermented with a small number of whole bunches, matured in used French oak for 12 months. The marriage of ancient vines and modern skills in the winery has produced a remarkable grenache at the forefront of the revitalisation of the style. It is powerful and intense, yet the flavours are in the fresh red spectrum with a savoury crosscurrent of fine, dusty tannins. There is no confection, no Turkish delight anywhere to be seen."
97 points, James Halliday, January 2018.
Colonel William Light, the South Australian colony’s Surveyor-General, named the Barossa in 1837 after the site of an English victory over the French in the Spanish Peninsular War. In the mid-1800’s Silesian and English immigrants settled in the area. The Barossa itself comprises two distinct sub-regions: Eden Valley and the warmer Barossa Valley floor at 270m.The Barossa Valley enjoys a warm Mediterranean climate characterised by hot dry summers and relatively low rainfall. Cool sea breezes from the Gulf of St Vincent modify the temperature, however hot northerly winds can occasionally dominate creating considerable vine stress. Many older established vineyards are dry-grown, but supplementary irrigation is also extensively used. The valley is comprised of rich brown soils and alluvial sands. A long history of uninterrupted viticulture in the area means the Barossa valley is home to Australia’s largest concentration of old-vine Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedre with many over 100 years old. Although most famous for Shiraz, the Barossa can also produce fragrant and deliciously fruity Grenache blends and beautifully rich, chocolatey Cabernet Sauvignons.
