96 points & Top 100 Wines of 2024 - "Blewitt Springs grenache planted to Holocene sand in 1960; fermented in 135-year-old wax-lined concrete fermenters with 20% whole bunches; about 18 days on skins; matured in a 2500L 17-year-old French oak vat for 10 months. Newly bottled, this is just so engagingly present at this early stage, though the architecture is there for a long life. Cranberry, pink peppercorn, freeze-dried raspberry, rosehip, raspberry leaf tea, sumac, cinnamon, white pepper and ground dried orange peel. It’s got grip and tension, so natural of feel, with a savoury line that connects to fruit, both bundled together seamlessly. This is stunning." - Marcus Ellis (Halliday Wine Companion)

95 points - "Steely, iron filings, ozone, cherry, raspberry, floral and spicy, honey glazed ham and mint. Medium-bodied, fine emery board tannin, dried herbs and almond, lots of cranberry crunch and energy, with very good length. Lovely wine. Fine Grenache. Picked on the right side of ripeness, with some tangy blood orange flavour in the aftertaste. It’ll do well with a few more years on it." - Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

95 points - "From a lower-elevation vineyard in Blewitt Springs. Supremely refined aromas of blood oranges and Damson plums, with a whiff of the Moroccan souk. Think cardamon, cloves and fennel seeds. The tannins are accompanied by a belt of gentle reduction. The finish is ferrous and salty, like licking sea salt off quince skin. This should age very well. Drink or hold. Screw cap." - Ned Goodwine MW (James Suckling)

94+ points - "The 2023 Grenache is aromatic and light in the glass, with notes of perfumed roses, blood orange, petrichor/wet asphalt, star anise, raspberry seed and licorice. On the palate, the wine is representative of the season that birthed it—it is cool and fine-boned, and the large oak vats that the wine matured in works to elevate the aromatics and protects an ethereal core of the wine. It is gossamer like in its shape and flow, really good. Made with 20% whole bunches, it fermented in old concrete fermenters (the same age as the Ryecroft winery that they belong to—137 years old this year). Post ferment, the fruit was pressed and put into large old vats (purchased from Tyrrell's). The tannins here are the highlight for me, aside from the fruit of course, in that they are chalky and infused into the wine rather than encasing it. This is glorious. The fruit is from Marmont vineyard in Blewitt Springs. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap." - Erin Larkin (The Wine Advocate)

Single vineyard Grenache, fruit sourced from ‘The Marmont Vineyard’ Blewitt Springs, McLaren Vale grown by the Cross family.

Dry Grown on Holocene Sand, East/West aspect, 140-145m altitude. Planted in 1960.

A chance encounter, a block we had never worked with until we started Paralian, but knew through reputation. Based in one of the oldest parts of McLaren Vale. Blewitt Springs sub-region. 2023 is our sixth release of this single vineyard wine.

Hand-picked fruit, wild-fermented in a 135-year-old wax lined concrete open fermenter, 20% whole bunch, remainder of fruit destemmed whole berry on top. Gentle cap management with daily hand plunges with the occasional pump over during the peak of ferment over a period of 18-days on skins. Whole bunches were hand squeezed at zero Baume to release the beautiful aromatic carbonic ferment characters back into the wine. Wine was matured on lees for 10 months in a 17 year old 2500L French oak foudre.

Refinement and if anything more tucked in than its predecessor, the 2022. There are aromas of ripe raspberry, pink lady apple skin, thai mint, almond husk and white chocolate. There's a lovely ripe woody sweet spice note, most likely from the lignified rachis whole bunch component which also offers the delicate spine of tannin. Lovely crisp cranberry brightness and overall compactness in this 2023 release.