Old Bush Vine Grenache 2022
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Barossa is famous for some of the worlds oldest Grenache vines, this and resulting wines of exceptional detail and power. Our Grenache shows off the vibrant and textural side of the variety, in a medium bodied wine with a long finish of fine tannins. A wine that will unravel and beguile after time in a decanter, without dominating your palate or plate.
2022 was a mild season starting with good winter and spring rains, it was warm but not how and sunny enough to ripen our gnarly old vines to where we wanted. The combination of old vines and deep sandy soil impart a varietal character to the wine, with particularly lifted aromatics and persistent length. An elegant wine with richness of fruit flavour and deep colour.
Viticulture
Viticulture
Bush vines are hand pruned by Dylan and Sam. In spring the vines are shoot thinned and leaf plucked only on the eastern and southern sides to expose the bunches to morning sun and aid airflow. After veraison any bunches that have not coloured evenly are removed reducing the variability between what is left behind.
The undervine area is controlled without sprays. A traditional knife on a 1940’s Fiat tractor is operated manually to avoid each vine but cut the weed roots just under the sandy soil surface.
The mid-row is managed according to the season, cover-crops of cereals and legumes are planted in autumn, left to grow all winter and rolled or mown in spring to reduce frost risk. As the sand dries out little re-growth occurs, if it does this is mown again.
Fruit maturity is judged by tasting and measuring, the first pick had a baume of 13.4 while the second pick was riper at 13.8-14.0.
The grapes are hand picked and sorted to ensure only the most healthy, mature and clean bunches are retained. These are transported 2km to the cellar before being chilled overnight and placed in the fermenter the following morning.
Technical Specs
Technical Specs
14.5% ABV
3.45pH
4.8g/l acidity
Vegan
S02 at bottling
Unfined and unfiltered
Diam closure
Winemaking
Winemaking
Harvested 14th March and 25th March, 2022.
The first harvest was from the deeper sand to the back of the block, and the second harvest was from the middle of the block.
Both parcels were treated the same, hand picked and put into 1500L stainless open-top fermenters.
33% De-stemmed whole berries on the bottom
33% Whole bunches in the middle
33% De-stemmed whole berry on top
1% magic
Wild ferment began spontaneously, juice was racked over the top of the tank from the bottom once ferment began. Gentle cap submersion mid ferment and after 8 days on skins when the ferment was slowing, juice was drained off, the whole bunches were foot stomped and the skins and bunches were pressed to tank to finish fermentation.
Once dry the wine was transferred into old oak puncheons and left until bottling. Bottling occurred 11 months later.
Reviews
Reviews
"This is a treat. It’s a beautiful grenache. Smoke, red berries, crushed spice and a mix of dried herb, earth and saltbush-like characters do the bulk of the talking but the magic is in the swerve of dry tannin, the way fruit pushes all the way through, and the general air of woodsmoke and meat. There’s a bit to be spellbound by here. Talk about presence, this wine has it in spades."
95 points, Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
