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Description
Vanguardist is at the forefront of the new-wave Grenache movement in McLaren Vale. Michael Corbett has spent the last decade focused on a single site - the Rende vineyard in Blewitt Springs - and his 'V' Grenache is now rightfully considered a benchmark for the region. This isn't your typical jammy Vale red; it’s about precision, detail, and showing off the distinct sandy terroir of Blewitt Springs.
The 2024 vintage marks the tenth release of this wine. It was a season of extremes, starting with a wet spring before a February heatwave tightened the harvest window. Corbett hand-picked the 55-year-old bush vines in three stages to maintain balance. Two-thirds of the fruit was fermented as whole bunches for five weeks, then tucked away for 17 months in large 2200L Slavonian oak foudres. That extra time in old wood through a second winter is what gives the wine its seamless cohesion.
It’s an elegant, highly aromatic Grenache, leading with lifted red berries, wild herbs, and a distinctive mineral edge. The palate is vibrant and deep, framed by fine-grained, silky tannins and a bright acidity that keeps everything focused. It has classic Blewitt Springs lacy texture but with serious underlying power. It’s drinking beautifully now but has the structure to evolve over the next decade.
97+ points
"The Vanguardist calling card, the defining wine. Deeply savoury and intense, layered, detailed, chiselled, seriously complex... It’s a wine that is so captivating on the nose… Another beautifully beguiling world-class grenache from Mr Corbett. Bravo."
- Marcus Ellis (Halliday Wine Companion)
96 points
"Wonderful finesse and perfume here. Give it a couple more years to come up."
- Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)
Customer Reviews
| Price Bracket | $51 to $100 |
| Type | Red |
| Body | Medium Bodied |
| Variety | Grenache |
| Country | Australia |
| Region | McLaren Vale |
| Australian State | SA |
| Feature |
High Score |
| Reviewed By |
The Wine Front Halliday Wine Companion |
| Critic Score |
97 |
| Alcohol | 14% |
| Size | 750ml |
| Vintage | 2024 |
| Closure | DIAM Cork |
Vanguardist
Winemaker Michael Corbett Vanguardist
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Common Questions
Delivery is free on orders of $199 or more.
For orders under this amount, delivery is calculated at checkout based on your postcode. You can order in any quantity or combination of wines you like. Straight dozens are not required.
We will dispatch your order the same or next business day.
Estimated delivery transit time varies depending on your location. Please review this page for specific estimates.
No sorry we do not have a store front and pickup is not available.
Yes, no problem. When placing your order select ‘Store at Different Drop and Delivery Later’ as your shipping method or reply to the order confirmation email after placing your order with additional instructions.
We stock three different sized gift boxes (single, three bottle and six), all are available for purchase for a flat rate of $8. They look great and make an awesome impression.
To add a gift box to your order, simply add at checkout. The special requests box is your friend, please give us as many details of what you are looking for and we will try our best, or get in contact to discuss it with you.
If you want to bulk order gifts or if you have any trouble please email hello@differentdrop.com or call and we can try and help.
Our warehouse is automated so unless you tell us otherwise, we will ship your order. If you would like us to hold your order please reply to the order confirmation email after placing your order and we are happy to store your order for up to 6 months at no charge. You can review our heat policy here.
Yes, of course. We want Different Drop customers to always be getting the best price. You can see our price match policy here.
No, feel free to mix it up! There is no minimum requirement. You can order wines in any quantity or combination, 1 or 50+ bottles.
No, all prices are set at the full discounted dozen rate already.
Most wine retailers list at a single-bottle price and then discount 10–15% when you buy six or twelve. We've taken the opposite approach. Since the overwhelming majority of our orders are already 6 bottles or more, our list price is set for the case buyer from the start. There's no inflated single-bottle price to discount down from.
What that means for you:
- One price, same for everyone — no minimum to hit to unlock the best rate
- No mixed-six gymnastics to qualify for a discount
- Our single-bottle price is typically at or below a traditional retailer's by-the-dozen rate
Put simply: the box discount is already baked into the price.
**And if you find it cheaper elsewhere?** Let us know. If the same wine is available at a lower price at another retailer (including at their mixed-six or by-the-dozen rate) we're happy to match it.
If you can't add more wine to your cart it means we are low on stock of that wine. For example, if you are only able to 3 bottles and no more that means we only have 3 bottles left of that wine. If it's a must have, please contact us and we may be able to order more in for you.
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