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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.7 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 97 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by jmcmchi on 3/24/2024 & rated 93 points: Open two hours, decanted one, thinking too much air might be detrimental….no problem, still feeling youthful
Red and blue fruit acidity, holding beautifully
Under instructions to open the next bottle for mother’s day (161 views) | | | Tasted by afot on 1/15/2023: Took an hour to open up then resolved smooth structure, some iron (terriary) and sweet red fruit. The alcohol is a bit prominent and I‘m not sure how long this is going to hold together. Good wine for sure but I‘d definitley drink up soon. (979 views) | | | Tasted by Amberissey on 9/1/2021 & rated 93 points: Earthy nose with loads of herbs and then damsons and plums, but cooked, maybe in a pie. Massively rich on the panel, like biting into a chewy dense pastry damson or plum pie with cream on it. Also red currant and perhaps black pepper. Lengthy. Roasted rosemary and thyme on the finish, I can taste and smell it as I breathe in. Still plenty of tannin. This is my wine of the night. (1896 views) | | | Tasted by paintinginacave on 8/29/2021 & rated 90 points: Eight hour slow oxidation. Opaque medium purple fading to a medium ruby outer edge. Damp herbs, dried earth, black plum skin, and cooked plums form the nose with a rich, dense palate of damson, black liquorice, and red currents. Incredible concentration of ultra-ripe dark fruit that doesn’t come across as overblown as many wines from this part of the world do. Requires further ageing to settle down and gain the complexity needed to take this to the next level however, it’s clearly drinking well now for those who favour richer, more fruit-driven wines. (1794 views) | | | Tasted by jmcmchi on 8/13/2021 & rated 91 points: Opened only a couple of hours
Still showing little sign of aging, nose however giving less open fruit
On palate intense spice and tertiary flavors but less distinctive grenache notes than 12 months ago (1792 views) | | | Tasted by Barnsbar on 6/20/2021 & rated 90 points: Yes and no. Firstly, for a big fuss, premium wine it's nothing special. It has quality, power, is clean and pure but doesn't have much indivuality. It's a well made, gutsy yet refined Ozzy red. No x factor or 'terroir'. An enjoyable drink and it's 16yrs old so clearly has class but nothing to make it stand alone and say 'drink me'. I've got 2 more bottles and I'll be happy to drink them. Quality bbq wine rather than desert island wine. (1831 views) | | | Tasted by ubercuvee on 2/7/2021: If this tastes like Old Rayas, then I’m Peter Pan. It’s not as ludicrously OTT as most Aussie ooze bombs of the era, but a svelte ballerina (or indeed, cold lieu-dit chateauneuf even) this ain’t (1785 views) | | | Tasted by jmcmchi on 8/19/2020: Over two nights as part of a CH experiment
Lighter in colour and more red acidity than same year Blewitt Springs. Oak is barely, if at all, perceptible, texture is clean and taut (1449 views) | | | Tasted by Neurowine1 on 7/25/2020: Was $35 about 7 years ago. Bought 2 btls but one went missing. This has aged impeccably and I am struck by the Old World sensibilities of this, a dead ringer for an aged Rayas (well, sort of). Candied red fruits take a back seat to minerals, underbrush, Asian spices, garrigue. This is really lovely and with a roasted hog, stupidly good. While I buy so little New World wines and essentially none from Australia, this is hard to dismiss. (1408 views) | | | Tasted by jmcmchi on 7/9/2020 & rated 92 points: So we look at this in the glass and think 2013, maybe 2014....
The nose is restrained, the palate is all about spice. The legs linger for a minute or so, acidity holds fruit and spice together
Opened 3-4 hours, served at 60ish, more appealing after an hour, so maybe at 64-5F (1364 views) | | | Tasted by ShellyReams on 3/20/2020: Wonderful (1441 views) | | | Tasted by Psdycp on 1/1/2018 & rated 91 points: Spices, ginger, eucalyptus and sweet black berries bouquet. Some rustic leather and vanilla oak undertones to round off the nose. There are red fruits, ginger, air-dried meats and minerals on the palate which is fairly delicate, not heavy or forward at all. Initially the savory flavors are somewhat disjointed. After an hour in the glass, it allows you to uncover the layers of flavors one by one. The acidity of the wine provides the backbone to the structure. Tannins which are quite fine linger in the finish. A touch lean and less fruit focus compared to the 2004 Romas Grenache. (3240 views) | | | Tasted by graemeg on 4/3/2017: NobleRottersSydney - Less popular varieties (360 Bar & Dining, Sydney): {cork, 14.5%} (Gordon) Double-decanted a few hours earlier. Sweet, only partly-developed nose of vanilla and sweet red candy. Full-bodied, dustily-tannic palate, with vanilla, oak, jammy fruit. Some acid though; it’s not a gloop-fest by any means. Big and warm; a tribute to what the right grenache can do. I must say, in spite of my prejudices, I did rather like this. Seems like it will happily age – and improve – for another 5-8 years easily. Impressive effort. (3901 views) | | | Tasted by stayhappy21 on 2/13/2017 & rated 91 points: Drank this at Chef Chan's Restaurant tonight with some wine mates. Theme of the night: Wines from the Year of the Rooster.
Dark purple in colour with notes of berries, gum, strawberries and cherries on the nose. On the palate the wine is wonderfully balanced and integrated; the fruit flavours are pronounced but not overpowering. Wine is rounded with a sweet, smooth, long finish.
Probably at the peak of its drinking window. (3693 views) | | | Tasted by IvanKrazy on 1/5/2017 & rated 92 points: This wine is so enjoyable. The nose is full of berries but the raspberries just jump at you very intensely! A bit of leather and grass as well and the finish is so good and and long. (3735 views) | | | Tasted by bugdoced on 12/18/2016 & rated 91 points: In a delicious spot with earth grace and length
Did not last long with this thirsty bunch (3623 views) | | | Tasted by europat55 on 7/12/2016 & rated 88 points: Very good wine, but not as smooth as the other 2005 Clarendon Hills Grenache I've had... (3267 views) | | | Tasted by SeaWine on 7/2/2016 & rated 92 points: As Francophile1 previously noted, it has classic Grenache notes on the nose, with pleasant candied-fruit notes. Overall, this was quite good, leading me to wonder why I'm not drinking more Grenache and Grenache-based blends. It was good with virtually no air on day 1, with very little drop-off on days 2 and 3. 92+ (2523 views) | | | Tasted by Derek Darth Taster on 4/23/2016 & rated 93 points: Pop and poured. Drank over 2 hours. At Uncle Sunny's.
Appearance is clear, deep intensity, ruby colour. Sediments towards bottom of bottle.
Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of blueberries, plums, licorice, spice. Developed.
On the palate, dry, medium+ acidity, high alcohol (14.5%), medium+ tannins, full body. Pronounced flavour intensity, with flavours of licorice, blueberries, dark red plums, deep raspberry/red cherry jam, spice. Long finish.
Very good quality. Fruity Aussie style, and though not utterly complex or profound, it is holding back from the jammy side and is quite nuanced. Drinking at peak now. Enjoy over next 2-3 years. Unlikely to improve any further. (3135 views) | | | Tasted by DarinC on 3/5/2016 & rated 90 points: Tannins nearly completely integrated. No notable evolution with air. I'd consume these within a year or two. (2557 views) | | | Tasted by Bluffan on 2/8/2016 & rated 93 points: Remarkably fruity for its age. Smooth, soft tannis. (2768 views) | | | Tasted by Francophile1 on 11/27/2015 & rated 93 points: A great wine with an explosive nose and aromatics in the glass. Hard to ignore the signature of Grenache in the nose... this would be fairly easy to pick out blinded for the varietal. However, what would be difficult to pin down is the provenance. Too much fruit to be a CDP, but it has enough balance and elegance to not shout out that it is from Australia either. Decanted for 90 minutes. Loads of candied red fruit (black cherry and black raspberry) which on the finish reminded me of a cross between a Luden's cough drop and a candy covered apple. Not my style of wine, but I respect it. A nice wine! (2497 views) | | | Tasted by cmueller on 11/20/2015 & rated 91 points: In a good place, could age some more but drinkable now. Fruit still good with raspberry's prominent while balancing some of the old world earthiness. (2264 views) | | | Tasted by Jmb4263 on 10/9/2015 & rated 94 points: Rhone varietal tasting party and this was the winner. Really drinking beautifully now. Nice balance of fruit and earth. (2349 views) | | | Tasted by ubercuvee on 6/6/2015: Still quality and still missing some complexity to rival the best CNDPs. Personally I'd hold these to see if that comes with more cellar time, but if you're a skeptic of the house/style, drink em now (2741 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Clarendon Hills Producer website
CLARENDON HILLS
Inspired by the classic South Australian wines of the 1950s and 1960s, particularly Penfolds, the visionary Roman Bratasiuk, a former biochemist, bought the old Elysium winery at Blewitt Springs, near Clarendon in McLaren Vale. By chance he found the nearby 10 acre Astralis Vineyard as a source of "as good as you can get" Shiraz. The vines were first planted in 1920 with 19th century colonial vine-stock derived from Chateau Reynella. Best known for the flagship wine Astralis Syrah, Clarendon Hills also produces a portfolio of single vineyard age-worthy Grenache & Syrah wines derived from 35 to 75-year-old dry grown vines, from the Clarendon, Blewitt Springs and Kangarilla sub-regions of McLaren Vale.2005 Clarendon Hills Grenache RomasSpecifications
Region
Blewitt Springs, McLaren Vale. A sprawling hillside region 10 kms North East of McLaren Vale town centre famous for its added comparative elevation and abundant hillside aspects whose rich ironstone and deep sand deposits forge individual and highly fragrant wines. The Romas Grenache is a single site wine from a bush vine patch planted in the 1940’s. This is the steepest stoniest section of the Blewitt Springs Grenache site previously tasted. The old gnarly bush vines are dry grown and are extremely low yielding. This site has a due East aspect and is located at 240 metres above sea level and represents Blewitt Springs’ higher altitude stony geology with less sands and more quartz, ironstone and shale content. The rocky soils impact most noticeably on reduced yields and added concentration.
Conditions
Idyllic growing conditions with above average crop levels were recorded in 2005 harvest. Bunch thinning was almost looking a certainty to realign the balance of the vines’ concentration however thick vine canopies pulled the fruit in back to line and all fruit was subsequently evenly ripened and every bunch looked exceptional upon arrival at the winery. 2005 vintage is an exceptional vintage and high quality can be seen right across the board with entry level wines and icons alike enjoying one of the best years on record.
Winemaking
Low yielding, dry grown vines from the Blewitt Springs region in McLaren Vale were hand-picked and followed by a 60% whole berry, wild yeast fermentation. All pressings were returned to barrel and eventually bottled onsite without fining or filtration after 18 months in French Oak. The Romas Grenache represents our flagship example of single vineyard old vine Grenache.
Maturation
18 months, within a hierarchy of 1-5 year old tightly grained French Oak. Bottled at the winery with no fining or filtration.
Grape Variety 100% Grenache, single vine, old vines
Closure Cork
Production. 300 Magnums
Winemaker Roman BratasiukClarendon Hills Grenache RomasClarendon Hills are vineyard and varietal expressionists who strive for purity and perfection and seek to portray the story of the individual vineyard 'Terroir' within their wines. Clarendon Hills’ collection of the old vine vineyards in sub-regions of McLaren Vale assists in defining their international pedigree for making world class wines that rate extremely highly among the international press.
Clarendon Hills makes an array of 6 single vineyard, old vine Grenache each from 80+ year old vineyards. The Romas Grenache vineyard is located within the foothills of McLaren Vale and was planted in the 1920's atop some of the worlds oldest geology located in Blewitt Springs’ famous ancient deep sands. The result is truly magical.
Romas is named after winemaker Roman Bratasiuk's childhood nickname and is one of Australia's most highly rated Grenache. Featuring within Clarendon Hills' Grand Cru classification system it offers many years of enjoyment with floral rose petals atop raspberry fruit coupled with terracotta 'terroir' characters that reveal after 15-20 years in the cellar. The Romas vineyard is one of the ultimate Grenache 'terroirs' of the world
The Romas Grenache is a single-site wine from a bush vine patch planted in the 1940s. This is the steepest stoniest section of the Blewitt Springs Grenache site previously tasted. The old gnarly bush vines are dry-grown and are extremely low yielding. This site has a due East aspect and is located at 240 metres above sea level and represents Blewitt Springs’ higher altitude stony geology with fewer areas of sand and more quartz, ironstone, and shale content. The rocky soils impact most noticeably on reduced yields and added concentration.Grenache Varietal character (Appellation America) - Read more about GrenacheRomasABOUT THIS VINEYARD
The Romas Grenache site  is located in Blewitt Springs and was planted in 1920
The 'Romas Grenache' is the steepest, most elevated section of the Blewitt Springs Grenache vineyard -
its uniquely special characters warrant its isolation and quarantine from the lower part of the Blewitt Springs vineyard.
This patch sits at 280 metres above sea level and is approximately 7 Kms to the ocean.
It enjoys a perfect due East aspect on a hillside that in some places reaches above a +40Ëš slope gradient.
The old vines struggle to survive on a steep rock hill face with yields a microscopic 0.5 tonne / acre.
Each of the Blewitt Springs, Romas and Onkaparinga Grenache sites are planted on the same hill side. The Blewitt Springs and Romas patches are due East facing and the Onkaparinga site is at the uppermost hilltop/crown area but is western facing. All sites are within 200 metres of each other and offering special and individual expressions.
These vineyards are globally unique - the unparalleled combination of 95+ year old, pre phylloxera vines planted in the oldest geology planet earth - surveyed at 1600 million years old -produces rare and exotic exhibitions of Grenache, not seen anywhere else in the world.
Underneath these old vines are primordial, ancient formations. There is a complete lack in nitrogenous matter available for plants/vines seeking nutrient and this results in extremely limited growth capabilities (Romas vines are approx. < 30 cm tall and each site produces less than 1 tonne / acre)
The environment has effectively reduced the output potential of these vines. The rich and ancient minerals present in the root zone of these special 95+ year old vines also impart rare physiological components to the vines and excellent grapes are a result.
These are globally unique vines that reflect and express their ancient origins with subtlety and sophistication
The Burra Geological group is the one of the oldest geological sub groups on this planet. Visibly the quartzose veins sprawl across the hillside; and shattered shale and heavy mineral lamination are present deep within this ancient landscape. These rocks are among the most admired primordial ancestors on planet earth.Australia Wine Australia (Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation) | Australian Wines (Wikipedia)South Australia South Australian Wine Industry Association | South Australian Wines (Wikipedia)Fleurieu Fleurieu Wineries & Cellar Doors (southaustralia.com) |
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