3 hot new drops for Grenache Day

In the shadows of shiraz and cabernet, this quiet achiever has long been misunderstood, mishandled, and quite frankly, misrepresented in Australia. A true hero of the warm and dry climates of the world, it can be found all over, but nobody does it quite like we do. With winemakers and buyers starting to flock to the variety (and fruit prices reaching nearly that of the darling pinot noir), there's a lot of hype building about the trusty grenache. Trust us when we say that it's well deserved, and long overdue.

Both a beauty and a beast, styles can range from light and ethereal to rich and rotund; but each one speaks just as loudly about place (or, terroir if you want to get fancy) as the next. 

Here's three expressions that are getting us excited at the moment.

Grenache 2022 – Black Market Deal #45470

Look, we're not technically allowed to tell you what this one is - but it's a real belter. The winemaker managed to take ownership of a row of vines in a 1930's Blewitt Springs vineyard to make this small-batch wonder. A love of Rhône, a love for old vines, and a love of the unique sandy soils of this McLaren Vale sub-region gave rise to this drop. This is a little more brooding than the grenaches that have become synonymous with lighter, pinot noir-esque styles. Chewy tannins and generous expression of blackcurrant, thyme, lavender and licorice can all be found here; dig a little deeper and you'll be rewarded with the mineral, salty cured meat characters that make this wine a complete package. This is cool booze. 

Grenache 2020 – Black Market Deal #45710

With 96pts from Ned Goodwin - now we're getting to the grown-up stuff. Of course, all wine is grown up (we did check your D.O.B after all), but this is where grenache graduates from the 'wine bar pour' to the 'special occasion' kind of drop. There is a thin vein of tension running throughout this grenache, which makes for very exciting drinking. Deftly handled wine at its truest, wine that almost shocks you from the first swirl. Aromatically, this wine is outstanding. Partial whole bunch fermentation shows off the elegant side of grenache with pepper, red cherry, raspberry and cinammon enticing you into the first sip. Boy, oh, boy: does it reward you on the palate. Expansive, evolving, firm and voluptuous. You could study this wine for hours, but we guarantee it won't last you that long. Luckily, a wine like this is set for (very) long innings, so a case of 6 is sure to serve you well.

Bacco Old Vine Garnacha 2018

A Spanish drop dripping with gold medals. Just north of Zaragoza, on the road from Barcelona to Rioja, you'll find the region of Campo de Borja. It's here that you'll find incredible vineyards with long-stretching heritage. Grenache (or, garnacha as it's locally known) is the hero of the red variety, notably grown as bush vines to protect from the abundant summer sunshine. Why does all this matter? Well because it contributes to making a an outstanding wine that overachieves in value by miles. It's both elegant and brooding, boasting a rich core of blackcurrant, raspberry liquorice, blueberry pie and toasted coconut. Just one look at the bling this wine has collected might give you an indication of how good this thing is, but we recommend trying it for yourself.

Want to have a peek at the full grenache range? Click here to shop all of our latest and greatest arrivals.