Richard Hamilton Burton’s Vineyard Old Vine Grenache 2022

Richard Hamilton’s father, Burton, a viticulturist, was well-known throughout the McLaren Vale wine region. He would have tended the vines for decades that now make up the Burton’s Vineyard Grenache. This wine falls nicely into what might be termed the “modern” style of Grenache: vibrant, juicy, elegant and textured. Upfront in sweet, juicy red fruits, an explosion of juniper, lavender, rosemary, pepper and plum bring all of the grape’s herbal/floral power to the bouquet. Lovely. Plush and equally upfront on the palate, too, with cherry, raspberry, a touch of confection musk and vanilla. Medium weighted and sensitive oak handling allows the fruit to shine perfectly. Just drops a little on the finish, but remains one smart and tasty Grenache.

Jeni Port

Wine critic at Winepilot

Jeni Port is one of Australia’s top wine communicators. Based in Melbourne, Jeni created the first wine column in the (then) Sun News-Pictorial before moving over to The Age and becoming that paper’s longest-serving wine writer. Over the years she has written for most Australian wine magazines and these days calls WinePilot home. She is also a Tasting Panel member on the Halliday Wine Companion. She was named Wine Communicator of the Year and Legend of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival in 2014 and in 2018 Legend of the Vine. She is a founding board member of Australian Women In Wine and is the co-deputy chair of Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards and China’s Wine List of the Year Awards.

Wine writer and critic