2023 Vanguardist Blewitt Grenache Syrah

The blend that best defines the Blewitt Springs sub-region of McLaren Vale. Grenache and Shiraz from Rende vineyard with the deft touch of Michael Corbett.

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Description

Here's another great debut from Michael Corbett, one of Australia’s premier Grenache producers. This mid-weight blend captures the essence of modern McLaren Vale, perfectly balancing power and finesse.

Sourced from the Rende Vineyard in Blewitt Springs, this wine is a tribute to the unique terroir of the area. Named after the vineyard’s location, Blewitt Springs, the site sits over 200 metres above sea level, in the sandy topsoil and ironstone pockets that produce the best wines in the area.

The 2023 vintage was marked by a cool, slow-growing season, leading to a later harvest. The Grenache and Syrah were handpicked separately, with the final blend being a harmonious 55/45 split. About 50% of the wine underwent whole-cluster fermentation, enhancing its complexity. After blending, the wine spent 11 months aging in a three-year-old French oak cuve (foudre) before being bottled unfined and unfiltered.

In the glass, the Blewitt Grenache Syrah offers a vibrant mix of red berries, blue fruits, and plum, with savoury herbal notes and a touch of earthiness. Medium-bodied and beautifully structured, it’s an organic, vegan-friendly wine that will only improve with time. If you love Michael's stylings with Grenache, you'll love this blue-fruited beauty of a blend.

94 points
"This is quite spicy, quite the incense and garam masala thing happening, along with red fruit, blue fruit, dried herbs and an earthy stony thing. It’s medium-bodied, quite dusty and spicy, the white peppery tannin is very appealing, and yet there’s some succulence and almost almond richness to flavour, with bright acidity, lots of energy and a finish of excellent length. The old McLaren Vale synergy of Grenache and Shiraz is working to great effect here, albeit in a more frisky and lively framework. This is fresh, and kind of sappy, but very good to drink. Different, but good."
- Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

INSPIRED BY THE FLORA & FAUNA THAT THRIVE IN THIS VINEYARD. THIS COLLECTION CELEBRATES TERROIR, ITS UNIQUE ECOSYSTEM & THE VIGNERON’S CRAFT.

SINGLE SITE GRENACHE, RENDE VINEYARD, BLEWITT SPRINGS, MCLAREN VALE

NAME: ‘Blewitt’ is the namesake for Blewitt Springs, where the Rende Vineyard is located in the north eastern corner of McLaren Vale. It boasts an altitude exceeding 200m above sea level. The top soil is pure sand, with clay and red ironstone pockets below the surface.

VINTAGE OVERVIEW: We experienced ample rain in the winter of 2022, with continued moist and cool conditions into spring. This delayed budburst and resulted in slower shoot growth. The combination of late flowering and fruit set, combined with cool summer conditions resulted in a slightly late and shortened vintage period.

HARVEST: The Rende Vineyard comprises of 3.5Ha of 54 year old bush vine Grenache, along with 2.5ha of 55 and 30 year old trellised Syrah. Along with the Grenache that was harvested over three separate picks, the Syrah was hand harvested on the 24th and 26th of March.

VINIFICATION:

Whole Cluster Fermentation: Approx 50% final blend
Elevage: The two varieties were fermented separately. Post blending in winter, elevage took place in a three year old french oak 26HL cuve for approx 11 months.
Blending: The wine is a 55/45 blend of Grenache & Syrah. The wine was bottled without fining or filtration.
TASTING NOTES:
BOTANIC wines showcase the refinement and complexity of fruit and a clear expression of terroir.

Profile: Red berries, blue fruits, plum, Savoury/herbal, earthy
Structure: Medium body
Aging: medium to long term
Classification: Organic (not certified), Vegan Friendly, Minimal Sulphur, Natural ferments, No acid or other additions.
Closure: AMORIM XPUR 49x24mm
FSO2 at bottling: 21ppm
TSO2: 47ppm
pH: 3.57, TA: 6g/L
GluFru: 0.22g/L
Calories: 74 kcal/100ml
Alcohol: 13.5%

94 points - "This is quite spicy, quite the incense and garam masala thing happening, along with red fruit, blue fruit, dried herbs and an earthy stony thing. It’s medium-bodied, quite dusty and spicy, the white peppery tannin is very appealing, and yet there’s some succulence and almost almond richness to flavour, with bright acidity, lots of energy and a finish of excellent length. The old McLaren Vale synergy of Grenache and Shiraz is working to great effect here, albeit in a more frisky and lively framework. This is fresh, and kind of sappy, but very good to drink. Different, but good." - Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

Vanguardist

Vanguardist is an up and coming producer from McLaren Vale started by three friends after many long nights in Hawkes Bay talking about their shared love of wine.

Their mission is to bring premium, authentic, small-batch wines to a market they see as crowded by "overly commercialised wines produced by corporates who take up all the elbow room."

They source very high-quality fruit from great vineyards across South Australia, looking to build wines with texture and vibrancy.

With experienced winemaker Michael Corbett at the helm, the future looks bright for this plucky challenger brand.

Winemaker Michael Corbett Vanguardist

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