Savitas Álainn Fion PJ Grenache 2017

The Álainn Fion brand is obviously one close to the winemaker’s heart. Álainn Fion is Gaelic for “beautiful wine” and is a reference to his father’s Irish ancestry, while the initials on this grenache belong to Matt O’Leary’s mother, Pamela Juanita O’Leary. PJ is a tale of two halves with a solid core of ripe red fruits – raspberries, cherries, red currants – which closely follow the grenache varietal path with the odd light sidestep into spice and a touch of confection. Then the path takes a narrow turn, tannins firm, acidity sharpens. Your mouth puckers. The two paths remain distinct and quite separate. Fruit is sourced from Tanunda in the Barossa Valley and while it may not fall into the general expectations we might have of Barossan grenache, it remains good drinking.