2024 Estate Grenache

My love affair with Grenache is deep, enduring, and the source of great amusement for the team (they think I'm obsessed)! This wine was grown, made and bottled to be a Special Reserve (hence the branded cap). Though it is lovely, I felt it didn’t reach the dizzy heights of the Sydney Royal Trophy Winning 2023 wine in terms of complexity and depth, and I didn't want to follow that triumph with something that wasn't building the legacy.  The cellar door team think I'm mad, but you're the beneficiary - enjoy this at $20 a bottle less than originally intended. Dive in!

2.6 tonnes of fruit were handpicked from Block 15 4/3/25 at optimal ripeness, coming in at 14.5° Baumé. A portion (0.9 tonnes) was fermented as whole bunches in open fermenter to encourage carbonic lift and contribute structural complexity. The remaining fruit was destemmed and crushed directly into a fermenter to provide body, richness, and depth. Both parcels underwent an 8-day maceration on skins, allowing for gentle extraction of colour, tannin, and flavour. After pressing and maturation, the wine was bottled on the 6th of December 2024 at 14.5% alc/vol.

2034+

'24 was unpredictable, defying forecasts. After a dry, warm winter, we decided not to plant a cover crop, and braced for drought and heat. But instead of fire and brimstone, we got rain — lots of it — and cool conditions that kept vines content and the vineyard team flat out slashing, spraying, and wrangling vigorous canopies. Vintage began on 17 January — the earliest in memory — with whites and rosé picked in a blur of big days and excellent yields. The reds caused us some stress. February was hot and stormy – the rains stalled ripening and kept Baumé’s stubbornly lower than we wanted. But patience paid off. A long, mild ripening season followed, and the fruit held strong through it all, rewarding us with beautifully balanced reds full of flavour and finesse.