Arila Gardens Sand Garden Grenache 2019

The grapes for this wine are sourced from a small parcel of vines which were planted in 1900 in the Moppa sub-region of the Barossa. Just shows what the correct site and old vines can do for grenache. The grapes were cold-soaked for 48 hours at 12°C. There was a small percentage of whole bunches at the base of the fermenters, and fermentation took place over seven days with gentle pumping and hand plunging. The wine was then matured for 14 months in old French oak, still on its yeast lees. The wine was stirred every now and again, with the intention being to build and soften the texture.

The colour was perhaps slightly more purple than expected, but the wine had those beautiful perfumes that one associates with great grenache. There were confectionary notes, florals, jubes and lollies here, but also very much aromatic aniseed and liquorice notes. There are the slightly gritty tannins one expects from grenache and very good length. Hints of mulberries emerged towards the finish. For me, this is a textbook Barossa grenache and one with a great future.