Yalumba Vat 11 Grenache 2023
- 92
- $40
- Drink by: 2024-2027
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The fruit for this wine was sourced from a single, dry grown vineyard in the famed Marananga sub-region of the Barossa, which was planted back in 1965. The name comes from a specific vat, yes Vat 11, in the Yalumba cellars which is used for small batch wines. Always a great way to give a winemaker the freedom to see what they can come up with – many wonderful wines have begun life this way. The wine spent 8 ½ months in oak. A bright garnet hue here, with spices, strawberries and appealing floral notes. This is youthful, but full of flavour. There are fine tannins and good length, but at this early stage, the finish does fade perhaps a fraction sooner than expected. That said, a few years in the bottle should more than cure this.
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.
