Arila Gardens Sand Garden Grenache 2021

Great Aussie Grenache, especially from old vines, gets ever more thrilling, and a brilliant year like 2021 only enhances that. This is a single vineyard wine from estate vines planted in 1900. Cold soaking for 48 hours, the process sees a small quantity of whole bunches at the base of the small open top fermenter with the remainder whole berries. Fermentation, with gentle pumpovers and hand plunging, takes 12 days. Maturation is for 14 months in seasoned French oak hogsheads with occasional stirring “to build and soften texture”.

This is near black with a maroon rim. Notes of florals, mulberries, raspberries, cassis, tobacco box notes and smoked meats. This is a cracking Grenache, focused and balanced, with a seamless and supple texture showing silky tannins and great length. This will age for a decade or more and the score could/should rise in that period.