2023 Vanguardist Oeno Grenache

Highly Rated NICK RYAN TOP 100
A lighter shade of single vineyard Grenache from one of the country's best producers of the variety.

Price:
Sale price$42.00
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In stock, ready to ship
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Description

The Oeno Grenache is the latest offering from one of Australia’s top Grenache experts, Michael Corbett. While it’s his third-tier Grenache, it offers exceptional value, especially for a wine of this calibre.

This debut release comes from the Rende Vineyard in Blewitt Springs, perched over 200 metres above sea level. Named after the evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) that thrives alongside the vines, the Oeno Grenache is a wine designed to highlight the lighter, friskier Grenache components on the beautiful Rende vineyard. 

Handpicked and whole-bunch fermented, with 60% of the grapes left in their clusters, the wine spent 11 months in French oak puncheons before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. Expect bright notes of raspberry, red currant, and cherry, with hints of spice and earthiness.

This organic, vegan-friendly Grenache is beautifully balanced and built to age. But with such a limited release, it won’t be available for long—making it a smart grab for anyone looking to add a top-notch Grenache to their collection without overspending.

95 points
"Michael Corbett is a brilliant, belligerent barrel of a man who deploys the full force of his high-octane obsessiveness in the pursuit of great grenache... Grenache Yoda does it again."
- Nick Ryan (The Weekend Australian)

93 points
"Raspberry, cherry, a fair bit of herb and bunchy spice, also some almond paste and floral notes. It’s sappy and red fruited, quite spicy, dusty tannin grip, perhaps a little sweet and sour ex whole bunch stuff, some pomegranate tang, with a bright finish of fine length."
- Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

93 points
"Cranberry, dried raspberry, tart redcurrant, ground, dried orange peel, tamarind, dusty white peppercorns, carraway, rye, it’s tartly pitched, taut but agreeably so, a wine that calls for food, Italianate in a way."
- Marcus Ellis (Halliday Wine Companion)

95 points - "Michael Corbett is a brilliant, belligerent barrel of a man who deploys the full force of his high-octane obsessiveness in the pursuit of great grenache. From the same vineyard as his rare and feverishly collected ‘Rende’ bottling, this wine shares a similar aromatic lift and red berried liveliness. There’s an alluring smidge of rubbed herb coming from a healthy percentage of whole bunches in the ferment, too. Grenache Yoda does it again." - Nick Ryan (The Australian)

93 points - "Raspberry, cherry, a fair bit of herb and bunchy spice, also some almond paste and floral notes. It’s sappy and red fruited, quite spicy, dusty tannin grip, perhaps a little sweet and sour ex whole bunch stuff, some pomegranate tang, with a bright finish of fine length. It has something of a ‘mineral’ character to it, and a subtle amaro bite in the aftertaste. It looked more cohesive and compelling after some time in the glass. It’s a good wine, kind of on the cusp of ripeness, but has plenty of energy and grip." - Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

93 points - "All Rende vineyard; 60% whole bunches; 11 months in seasoned oak puncheons. This is from the Botanic series, a new range for Michael Corbett – effectively replacing La Petite Vanguard. This still sports the V on the bottle and is very much in the Vanguardist savoury, agreeably tense style, though pleasingly accessible in terms of pricing. Cranberry, dried raspberry, tart redcurrant, ground, dried orange peel, tamarind, dusty white peppercorns, carraway, rye, it’s tartly pitched, taut but agreeably so, a wine that calls for food, Italianate in a way. This will benefit from a little longer in bottle." - Marcus Ellis (Halliday Wine Companion)

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: ‘Oeno’ derives from both the Evening Primrose (Oenothera Biennis) found in this vineyard, combined with the science dedicated to the study and knowledge of wines, Oenology. The vineyard 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: We commenced hand harvesting on March 16th and concluded swiftly ten days later on the 26th with our third pick. The yields were down from the 2022, averaging around 30HL/Ha. Slightly below the long-term average.

VINIFICATION:

Whole bunch fermentation: 60%
Elevage: The wine was aged in french oak 500L puncheons for 11 months post-press.
Blending: The final 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: Raspberry, red current, cherry, spice, 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: 54ppm
pH: 3.43, TA: 6g/L
GluFru: 0.40g/L
Calories: 74 kcal/100ml
Alcohol: 13.4%

Price Bracket $41 to $50
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
The Weekend Australian
Critic Score 93
95
Alcohol 14%
Size 750ml
Vintage 2023
Closure Cork

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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