Description
McLaren Vale Grenache is becoming one of Australia's most important wine styles, thanks to the region's Mediterranean climate, old vines, and some of the best producers in the land pushing the quality of the variety perpetually forward.
The sandy soils and cooling sea breezes help retain freshness and elegance, giving Grenache from McLaren Vale a beautiful balance between power and finesse.
It’s Australia’s answer to Rhône, but with a bold, unmistakable Aussie swagger. Here are the frontrunners for the "Grenache-aissance"...
- 2022 S.C. Pannell Little Branch Grenache
- 2021 Brash Higgins Smart Vineyard Grenache
- 2022 Yangarra Old Vine Grenache
- 2023 Aphelion Wait Vineyard Grenache
- 2023 Vanguardist Oeno Grenache
- 2022 MMAD Grenache
2022 S.C. Pannell Little Branch Grenache
Introducing the debut release of Steve Pannell's new baby, the stunning 2022 Little Branch Grenache.
Pannell purchased this gem of a vineyard in the Blewitt Springs dress-circle 2021, which boasts ancient Maslin Beach sands and 30-year-old vines. These vines, combined with the unique ironstone-flecked soils at 140 meters above sea level, bring a lot of character to this wine.
As always, Pannell employs traditional techniques like whole bunch fermentation and aging in old French oak vats. The wine is fermented with a small percentage of whole clusters and left on skins for 13 days before being pressed and matured. This hands-off approach really lets the vineyard’s natural qualities shine through.
When you take a sip, you’re hit with bright red fruits like raspberry and strawberry, followed by a complex array of spices—cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and cassia. There’s a hint of toffee apple and spun sugar, finishing with musk and rose oil. The texture is smooth and sophisticated, with stealthy tannins that build up slowly, leaving a lasting impression.
A remarkable first Little Branch release from Steve, and surely a wine to watch and collect for many years to come. Extremely limited.
97 points
"This is an impactful grenache made by somebody who prizes Italian wines. The tannins are an immense force field, with kirsch, strawberries and dried Mediterranean herbs, and a note of almond husk that gives noble bitterness. The density, poise and grace are thoroughly impressive. This is a structured grenache built for the cellar."
- Ned Goodwin (James Suckling)
2021 Brash Higgins Smart Vineyard Grenache
Brad Hickey’s first solo varietal Grenache here, sourced from vines planted in the '50s, nestled in the hilly Clarendon sub-region. Only 100 cases made, so if you’re lucky enough to grab one, drink it with someone you really like.
It's a beautiful depiction of this famous McLaren Vale vineyard. There’s lavender and cloves on the nose, mingling with hints of orange peel, feijoa, and cinnamon—a sensory journey that dances across the palate with dusty, fine tannins, all kept in perfect harmony by 15 months in old French oak. It’s got that medium-bodied finesse we love in a great Grenache, but with enough backbone to keep improving in the cellar.
The label, by Sydney artist Alesandro Ljubicic, is as eye-catching as the wine itself—beautiful, bold, and unmistakably Brash Higgins. Drink it now for its sheer vibrancy, or tuck it away for a few years and see how it unfolds. Either way, this Grenache is all class and a great debut release from the one and only Brash Higgins.
96 Points
"This is good, quirky and, like its winemaker, probing for secrets and answers... Chinotto, tamarind, clove and kirsch, the souk-scented ferrous tannins a spicy curtail to any excess. There is a scent of the southern Rhone more, perhaps, than the Gredos (the aspirational totem for so many). A beautiful point of difference with every sip."
- Ned Goodwin MW (Halliday Wine Companion)
2022 Yangarra Old Vine Grenache
Yangarra is arguably Australia's finest producer of Grenache, and this stunning wine is surely one of their finest (and best value) releases yet.
Their remarkable, certified biodynamic vineyard in the higher reaches of McLaren Vale produces a fleet of awe-inspiring Grenache, with this 'Old Vine' release being the heart and soul of the lineup.
The fruit comes from 70-year-old, non-irrigated bush vines, with Yangarra's incredible winery doing its bit to maintain all the purity of fruit and natural vineyard character in the wine. It's not jubey and fruity, nor is it rich and inky - this is an emphatically perfumed, seriously structured, utterly delicious Grenache that will only improve with time in the cellar.
This is a no-brainer for any Grenache lover. Stock up.
96 points
"Bush vines planted in 1946 on a deep sandy dune. Hand-picked and sorted, with 50% whole berries for a wild ferment. Perfumed rose petals and wild strawberries, the palate bursts with energy and drive, all in a red spectrum."
- James Halliday (The Weekend Australian)
2023 Aphelion Wait Vineyard Grenache
Aphelion winemaker Rob Mack sources his fruit from growers he knows and respects, with the fruit for this wine coming from the sandy soils of the Wait Vineyard in McLaren Vale's Blewitt Springs sub-region.
Originally planted in the 1940s, the vineyard is dry-grown and produces small berries with intense structure.
With only a single 600L barrel produced, this is a great example of truly age-worthy, collectable Grenache from a winemaker who loves the grape.
There's a little bit of ageing in neutral French oak, following a long and slow fermentation with 100% whole bunches.
96 points
"What a wine. This is a little edgier than the 2022 but lovely all the same. This is my favorite in the suite of 2023 Grenaches from Aphelion this year."
- Erin Larkin (The Wine Advocate)
95 points
"That bunch sits up in this at present, with cooler, smoky herbal notes, interlocking with spice, faintly suggesting garam masala, green cardamom a feature, with cherry pit, dried cranberry, macerated strawberry, pressed flowers, umeboshi and bergamot strung across a web of chewy tannins. There’s a lot to give here, but a little time is required."
- Marcus Ellis (Halliday Wine Companion)
2023 Vanguardist Oeno Grenache
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.
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)
2022 MMAD Grenache
The MMAD Grenache is the crown jewel in the MMAD wine stable.
Gaining access to a vineyard planted in 1939 is no easy feat, but thankfully the foursome behind this project are driven to create a wine that truly expresses the nuances possible from such old vines.
It's an ethereal and truly epic depiction of Grenache from Blewitt Springs, realised with crystal clarity. The acidity and minerality are zippy and the palate is smooth and silky.
A Triumph for winemaker Adam Wadewitz and his team and a wine that has very quickly entered the pantheon of the greatest Grenache wines in the country.
97 points
"A seriously compelling wine, and further proof of how thrilling McLaren Vale grenache is right now, for both its quality and the unparalleled diversity in top-flight expressions."
– Marcus Ellis (Halliday Wine Companion)
97 points
"This is ballistically good. I doubt that I’ll taste anything much better from these shores over the next 12 months... The complete and utter command of the final flourish of flavour and tannin here feels, as you swallow, like a high water mark. I’m sold, totally sold, on this wine."
- Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)
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