Twenty or so years ago, many Australian Grenaches were sweet and jammy, high in alcohol and lacking structure. However, there has been a dimensional improvement in the quality of Australian Grenache and blends thereof in the past decade or so. Yes, they are at the higher end of the alcohol spectrum. Such is the nature of Grenache, whether it be in the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale or the southern Rhone. The better contemporary examples of Australian Grenache possess lifted aromatics, often with a spicy and floral edge, a savoury palate and a structure that suggests they should develop well in bottle for a decade, perhaps longer.
Boutique Barossa Valley producer Schwarz Wine Company has been fashioning the Thiele Road Grenache for the best part of a decade. The wine boasts a prototypical Grenache bouquet of kirsch, plum, spice and tar. While there is an initial fruit sweetness on the palate, it quickly moves to savoury, with spicy carrying the finish. Although drinking perfectly well now, it should develop well in bottle for the next several years, building complexity in that time.
While this isn’t a match for the famous 100% Grenache Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Château Rayas, it displays considerable poise and refinement.
Producer: Schwarz Wine Company
Variety: Grenache et al
Vintage: 2009
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 14.5%
Closure: Screw cap
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $32.00
Date tasted: 15 July 2012
Tasting Note:
Bright ruby red. Inviting nose of kirsch, raspberry, star anise and tar. Dry, at the fuller end of medium bodied, quite savoury in profile, similar fruit characters as on the nose, low acidity. All in all, a well balanced example of modern Barossa Valley Grenache that is in no way jammy or confected. A good effort.
Score: 16+/20
No comments:
Post a Comment