S.C. Pannell Old McDonald Grenache 2018

Just like for Pinot Noir, colour can be a deceptive indictor of quality for Grenache. Some wines can be delicately coloured but then open up to deliver a knockout array of flavour and concentration. This is such a wine, made with fruit from a 76 year old Blewitt Springs vineyard in McLaren Vale.

It is lightly coloured but opens up to be a beautifully understated, expressive and even haunting wine. The fruits are mainly cranberry and dark cherry with an attractive baked earth and spicy edge. It is immediately pretty but I also like the firm structure on the palate which will guarantee a long life. It is bone dry with a freight train of hedonistic fruits. But the wine is not only powerful, there is also exceptional detail plus a long, generous and seamless finish with a firm edge to the tannins. The balance is also super making the whole package one hell of a serious Grenache. Track it down here.