Clandestine Vineyards ‘Hearts and Minds’ Grenache 2021

The cracking Aussie Grenache parade continues. This offering is from a single vineyard planted with bush vines in 1950, in the Blewitt Springs sub-region of McLaren Vale. The region’s ubiquitous winemaking wizard, Ben Riggs, has worked his magic again. Handpicked to open fermenters with ten days skin contact, this is hand plunged and then pressed largely to a mix of French oak – 15% new and 85% older – the wine then spends another ten months in that same oak undergoing maturation. There is no fining nor filtration before bottling. 3,000 bottles. 

A pale purple, this needed time in the glass to open up at this very early stage. When it did, lovely perfumes of strawberries, florals and an array of red fruits emerged. Supple and seamless, such a seductive texture, there are some serious tannins here too but handled so well that they are near invisible. Good acidity runs the length of this impressive wine. It will handle five to ten years in the cellar without blinking. Another cracking McLaren Vale Grenache indeed.