Purple Hands Old Vine Barossa Grenache 2020

Sourced from a range of vineyards from across the Barossa, including the Zerk Vineyards at Lyndoch, which were planted in 1890 and also 1961. The section from 1961 is around 250m above sea level, with a northerly aspect and soil consisting of deep red clay with bands of ironstone and shale. It is on its own rootstocks. The 1890 section is around 260m above sea level, a Southerly aspect, and soil consisting of deep sand over clay. Again, on own rootstocks. The remainder is from the Annandale Vineyard at Williamstown, at the south end of the Valley, planted in 1971. It sits around 310m above sea level and the soil consists of slate sandy loam and creek stones. 25-30% whole clusters were added to the open fermenters, the remainder of the grapes crushed on top, with header boards placed on top on the second day of the ferment, with both indigenous and cultured yeasts. Pump overs performed twice daily, but not at all in the latter stages of the ferment, before being transferred to old puncheons. 

Attractive pale reds. This is fresh and spicy with hints to suggest it will become more savoury in time. Warm earth, barbecued meats, red cherries and a hint of cinnamon before a palate that is supple and seamless. There are fine, but slightly gritty tannins and a flick of acidity underneath with very good length. Anyone looking for a mid-weight, fresh red with elegance and length, this represents cracking value.

While I was doing the tasting of these reds from Purple Hands, I had a big saucepan of tripe happily cooking away on the stove and I kept thinking that I could not wait until that evening so I could enjoy a glass of this wine with the tripe. As it turned out, they could not have made a better match! 

Ken Gargett

Contributor at Winepilot

Ken was born and bred in Brisbane, Queensland. He had a non-trendy, perfectly happy childhood, in a family convinced alcohol meant instant condemnation to Hades. But a break fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, and some good wine, started a serious obsession that eventually took over. It did not stop Ken being chastised later for drinking Pol champagne, disgusted he’d drink anything made by a Cambodian dictator. Now, Ken mostly writes on wine, champagne and spirits for various newspapers, magazines and books, but is perhaps best known for his work in The Courier Mail. He also has a little sideline writing on cigars, fishing, travel and food. When not writing, fly-fishing for trout in NZ or bonefish on the flats of Cuba, travelling or smoking cigars, he is no doubt following a variety of sporting teams – the occasionally glorious Queensland Reds rugby, the dysfunctional Washington Redskins, the dodgy Arsenal and especially revels in the world restored to its proper axis with the return of the Ashes to their rightful home.

Wine writer and critic