GT Wine Magazine Top Tasting Grenache

Sydney
Tasted Wednesday, August 17, 2011 by chatters with 467 views

Introduction

Standard elbows and ladies wearing too much perfume at Peter Bourne's upstairs room...Grenache and Grenache blends from Australia. Jolly good fun

Flight 1 - Straight Grenache (7 Notes)

well, as straight as the rules allow (which is 85% of declared varietal down here in Australia). Old faithful was my favourite but that may have just been my natural inclination to enjoy age in wines...

  • 2008 Ross Estate Old Vine Grenache

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    Pale ruby, medium minus intensity
    Jammy red fruit, harsh spice, vanilla, quite concentrated, like jelly, medium plus intensity
    Very jammy and concentrated medium minus to short finish. Medium acid, tannin and medium plus alcohol. Too hot and too concentrated. Come back in five years?

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  • 2007 Tim Adams The Fergus

    Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley

    Ruby, medium intensity
    Jammy red fruit, sweet spice, youthful, medium intensity
    Leather, bitter over red fruit, medium tannin, medium minus acidity, bitter and astringent finish. Almost green which belies the jammy red fruit nose

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  • 2009 Yalumba Grenache Bush Vine

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa

    Ruby, medium minus intensity
    v. slight farmyard funk, red berry fruit, perhaps cherry, spice
    medium plus acid, medium minus tannin, slightly course and bitter along with the red fruit on a long finish. Hmm okay

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  • 2009 Turkey Flat Grenache

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    Ruby medium plus intensity
    Funk and slightly green fruit, cream, tiny vanilla, almost sweet pastry
    Refreshing juicy red fruit with medium acid and tannin that are both integrated. Warm and phenolic gum grip on the medium finish with slight herbiness

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  • 2009 Samuel's Gorge Grenache Cadenzia

    Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

    Purple fading to ruby rim, medium intensity
    Pronounced spice and red fruit, cream and slight perfume overlays hints of horse sweat
    Jammy compote, initial acid attack then medium finish with medium minus tannin that carries a slight menthol note

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  • 2009 Penny's Hill Grenache The Experiment

    Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

    Ruby, medium minus intensity
    Concentrated but very pleasant red fruit accompanied by some sweet spice
    Almost beetroot and tomato, medium tannin, medium minus acid, very slight bitterness, medium long finish that reveals some red fruit

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  • 2006 The Old Faithful Grenache "Northern Exposure"

    Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

    Ruby, medium to medium plus intensity
    Jammy, funky, strawberry (?) clove, slight meatiness – a developing wine
    Menthol, strawberry, cherry and cream. Medium plus tannin, medium acid, tannin chalky and carries into the finish that is long and also has warm alcohol and sweet spice. Nice to very nice.

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Flight 2 - Grenache blends (15 Notes)

All Grenache dominant...so we're looking Southern Rhone Cotes and the simpler CndP as the influence but, in all probability, with older vines and less grafted onto rootstock down here! Two Hands and Di Fabio Estate both worked for me...

  • 2010 Clarence Hill Grenache Shiraz

    Australia, South Australia, Adelaide

    Slight purple to ruby fade, medium minus intensity
    Cherry, meaty, spice, slight touches of black olive
    medium plus tannin that is dusty and dry, medium minus acidity, medium alcohol, medium minus body that reveals itself in a light mouth feel that reveals diluted burnt and jammy fruit. Disjointed and dull.

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  • 2009 Hewitson Miss Harry

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    Ruby, medium minus intensity
    Red berry fruit, leather, slight farmyard funk
    Medium plus acid and tannin, red compote fruit, slight sweet spice. Tannin grabs the mouth on the long finish. Not unpleasant

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  • 2009 Teusner Joshua

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    Purple to ruby rim, medium intensity
    Farmyard funk, leather and meat over red and black berry fruit
    Spice and black pepper over black and red fruit. Medium plus tanning and acidity, long finish, tannins that are chalky and all over the front of the mouth. Hmm.

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  • 2009 Sons of Eden Kennedy

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    Purple, medium intensity
    Red fruit dominates spice, leather and tobacco
    Jammy red fruit and spice, slight medicinal quality, medium plus body, acid and tannin. Medium long finish. Nice, very pleasant, well balanced but perhaps a touch to jammy on second tasting. One would assume this would start to calm down with time.

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  • 2009 Wirra Wirra Original Blend Grenache/Shiraz

    Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

    Ruby to slight Garnet, medium intensity
    Red fruit, ethanol, peppery spice, slight oak
    Very peppery and hot – medium plus alcohol that is very generous – lays over slight red fruit. Medium short finish. Nah

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  • 2007 Kilikanoon The Medley

    Australia, South Australia

    Purple, medium intensity
    Concentrated jammy fruit, vanilla and cream over slight sweet spice and a touch of black pepper
    Jammy red fruit bomb followed by very slight bitterness and astringency, medium plus tannin, medium acid and medium length with a hot medium plus alcohol that carries through

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  • 2008 Penfolds Bin 138 Shiraz Grenache Mourvèdre

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    Purple, medium intensity
    Medium minus intensity but concentrated red fruit upon increased agitation over cream and, perhaps, a little clove
    Medium plus tannin, medium acid, red fruit that carries on the medium finish. Nice but, perhaps, a little too simple.

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  • 2008 Charles Melton Nine Popes

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    Purple to Ruby rim face, medium plus intensity
    Jammy red fruit, sweet spice and intensity
    Jammy almost yeasty, meaty. Mouth gripping tannin on the long finish. Disjointed and needs more time.

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  • 2010 Blackbilly Grenache/Shiraz/Mourvedre

    Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

    Purple, medium intensity
    Red and black fruit, black pepper, leather and sweet tobacco
    Jammy and peppery, medium plus body, medium acid and tannin, fruit driven finish that is medium long. Nice

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  • 2010 Schild Estate Old Bush Vine GMS Barossa

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa

    Ruby, medium minus intensity
    Sweet spice over red fruit backed up by black pepper and oak
    Intense red fruit, spice and leather. Medium acid and medium plus tannin that carries on the long warm finish. Lacks fruit carry on the finish (which is all alcohol heat and tannin)

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  • 2009 Two Hands Brave Faces

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    Purple to ruby rim fade. Medium intensity
    Leather and sweet spice and tobacco over red fruit and peppery hints
    Red fruit bomb, leather and spice. Medium plus tannin and medium acidity. Finishes slightly bitter and savoury but none the worse for this. Very nice indeed re-enforced by second tasting.

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  • 2010 Cape Barren Native Goose GSM

    Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

    Ruby, medium intensity
    Red fruit that is quite concentrated and almost a little savoury over cream, vanilla and cedar
    Jammy red fruit that dissipates rapidly to reveal bitter and course tannin. Nope

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  • 2009 Teusner Avatar

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    Ruby medium minus intensity
    Medium minus intensity red fruit, leather, slight perfume
    Red fruit, grippy tannin, leather, warm alcohol and long finish. A little simple but beautifully balanced and eminently quaffable. Very pleasant indeed.

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  • 2009 Shingleback Red Knot Cadenzia Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre

    Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

    Purple to Ruby rim fade that is medium intensity
    Red fruit, v.slight spice, tiny vanilla, medium minus intensity
    Jammy red fruit followed by bitterness on the medium minus long finish. Nah

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  • 2009 Di Fabio Estate Marietta Grenache Shiraz Mataro

    Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

    Purple to Ruby rim fade and medium plus intensity
    Peppery spice, red fruit and oak
    Red and black fruit, spice, medium plus body and flavour intensity that gives a great mouth feel, medium plus tannin and acid but all beautifully integrated. The alcohol is a little generous on the long finish but other than that this is a lovely wine.

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Closing

As is always the way, some good, some bad, some indifferent but probably the best selection of new world Grenache that one could find in this price bracket.

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