2024 'The Fruitful' Grenache

The Fruitful Grenache is a modern take on the variety, this wine always produces incredible fruit up front, it ticks the box for a lot of wine drinkers as it has nice layers of concentration on the back pallet but still fresh and vibrant, this is what the name resembles. 

Picked on 23rd February, the Baume came in at the desired 12.5, however the wine tasted like it was going to be quite fleshy at the start. After 9 months in foudre, it took a turn and freshened up to perfection! 

A pure, modern take on Grenache. Grown on a very unique site with 80 year old vines, 350 metres above sea level, very exposed to the sun - which Grenache loves.

A light, pretty, ruby colour on the eye. The wine offers a Campari like nose along with blood orange, raspberries, subtle herbs and spice. The pallet is very intriguing, the natural acidy from picking earlier keeps the wine lifted and lively, which is balanced out with a delicate velvety tannin structure. There is a real purity to this wine, fresh cranberry, raspberry, sour cherry and nanna’s homemade roll up come to mind. The site always offers an interesting graphite minerality that keeps you wanting to come back for more. If you enjoy Pinot Noir, this is a great alternate to give a go.

Vineyard: Gullyview Vineyard, Watervale
Planted: 1945
Soil type: Terra Rossa, red clay on limestone
Picking date: February 23rd, 2024
Picking method: Hand Harvested and sorted in the vineyard 
Time on skins: 2 weeks
Processing: Crush and destemmed
Pressing: Free run and pressings combined
Cooling / settling: Cold settled off gross lees for 7 days
Fermentation: Open head stainless steel for weeks 2 weeks, pump overs twice a day for 5 minutes at a time.
Aging vessel: Slavonian oak 2000L foudre for 9 months.
Filtration: Crossflow
Fining: No
Alc: 13.1% (STD DRNKS – 7.8)
Vegan Friendly: Yes

91 Points - Katrina Butler (James Halliday)

"From the Gullyview vineyard in Watervale planted in '45. I wasn't sure what to anticipate, but it wasn't the paler-than-pinot-pink hue unfurling before me.

And it drank as jubey and confected as it looked, with all manner of red sweets, jellybeans, redskins, raspberry and alpine berries with a bitter Campari edge, too. A surprisingly modern grenache from old vines.

It goes without saying that it takes a chill, but you needn't have to – slurpable stuff."