Claymore You’ll Never Walk Alone GSM 2024

One always has to respect people who follow their passion, even when it goes through lows as well as highs. This wine is released annually as a tribute to the family’s love of the Liverpool football team. I’m sure they will appreciate the irony that it arrived for tasting the day after the Glorious Gunners finally lifted the EPL trophy, after far too long. Even I felt it would be poor form to celebrate with this wine (after tasting, of course), even though it is, as always, delicious drinking and cracking value. The blend this year is 44% Grenache, 43% Shiraz and 13% Mataro, all from the Clare Valley. This year, the bottle is lightweight glass. Crimson/garnet in colour, still very youthful, but delightfully spicy. The nose offers bright notes of plums and mulberries, chocolate and florals. This is a fresh and easy drinking style with a sleek texture, abundant but satiny tannins and juicy acidity. Very good length, it is a pleasure to drink and should remain so over the next four to six years, during which time it seems unlikely that Liverpool will be lifting any trophies.