For many years, Grenache seemed to lie in the shadows somewhat of its other red varietal brothers. Indeed, it has remained one of the most widely planted grapes around the world and has maintained a fervent fanbase, but it was far rarer to find an top-end aging Grenache in a wine collector's cellar than it was a Pinot, Cabernet or Shiraz.
There's been a shift, which ourselves, as well as all the reps and winemakers in the industry have felt recently; there is genuine demand for high-end Grenache options that are as bright and enjoyable now, as they will be rich and layered with those delicious tertiary flavours of caramel and earth in many years time.
This Saturday (8th July), come by between 12 to 2pm, as we look to dig into this new-found enthusiasm, and show off some of the very best Grenache expressions from around the world of wine! We've got Australia, Spain, France, and Sardinia covered, so a terrific mixture of styles and palates will be covered. Hope to see you then, otherwise you can browse the lineup and specials below!
2021 Swinney Grenache - $40 on offer ; $46 RRP
"The Grenache coming from the Swinney team, both at this level and with their Farvie range, has stunned winelovers and there is no let-up here. Another absolute cracker. From their Wilson’s Pool vineyard, the fruit is handpicked, destemmed and berry sorted into small wooden and stainless steel fermenters, by way of gravity. 25% whole bunches. A natural fermentation. The wine spends fourteen days on skins before it is pressed directly to fine grained, large format, seasoned French oak for eleven months maturation. A vibrant crimson hue, this offers a fully fragrant nose with cranberries, exotic spices, pepper, florals, raspberries, a hint of coffee grinds and hints of the delicatessen. Such an alluring nose. A mid-weight style with good focus and a seductive texture, through to a lingering finish, which is just slightly drying, thanks to the tannins, which are a mix of the silky and sandy, something we do see with this variety. This should drink superbly for at least a decade" - 95 Points, Ken Gargett, Wine Pilot
2012 Cien Y Pico Knight's Errant Garnacha Reserva - $46 on offer ; $52 RRP
"An absolute blockbuster. Red to purple tingewith a browning rim edge. A bouquet of secondary bottle age: leather on well-kept old saddlery, polished old furniture, and some cigar box. And then hints of a once youthful aromaticity: rosemary, fennel, aniseed. The melding of fading aromas of fruit and developing bottle aged bouquet meets not just neatly, but lovingly. A decade in the bottle equates to an instantly rounded and dried fruit flavour profile. Then a clean clear line of fresh acidity steams through, reminding both the drinker and the wine that youth can never be entirely quashed. At one moment there are raisins and stewed quinces, the next red table grapes of Autumn and plums just fallen on a frosty morning. A red wine that invites you in and demands only one thing: time over lunch/dinner." - Winemaker Notes
2020 Antonella Corda Cannonau di Sardegna - $46 on offer ; $52 RRP
*Grenache from Sardinia, Italy
"Delicate macerations and of non-toasted barrels, the elegance of the varietal aromas remains intact. Cherry, raspberry, blackberry, rose and a delicate spicy note of white pepper. The freshness harmonises with the warm notes and the exceptional soft tannins." - Importer Note "Red cherries, wild berries, thyme and mushrooms on the nose. Wild and a little stemmy on the palate, with a medium to full body and gently chewy tannins. Some bitter-herb and mineral character at the end. Drink or hold." - 93 Points, James Suckling
2019 Saouma Inopia Côtes du Rhône Rouge - $69 on offer ; $79 RRP
"All the fruit is from their own vineyards around the winery in Orange. Mostly Grenache with Mourvedre, Syrah, Cinsault and Counoise. Cold maceration with whole clusters for a week then fermentation without any additions for 10 days. Aged in Cement eggs, Foudre and 500ltr barrels. On full lees for 16 months, no racking or sulphur." - Importer Notes
"This needs a bit of air, but with time you are greeted with aromas of black cherries, plums and black licorice. Medium-to full-bodied with silky tannins. Very clear red and black fruit with some earthy undertones. Layered, but approachable with lots of distinctive character which you do not typically find with a Cotes-du-Rhone village. Drink now." - 92 Points, James Suckling
2018 Clos Figueras Font de la Figuera Priorat - $87 on offer ; $100 RRP
"At the winery overnight in a cool room followen by a second selection on the sorting table. Fermentation in stainless steel tanks of 2500 liters. Temperature controlled daily punch-down. Some of the Syrah is not destemmed. Maceration of two to three weeks. Vertical press with a soft pressing. Aged for 12 months in French oak barrels of 500 liters. Red ripe cherry color with bright violet rim denoting youth. Wild red fruit flavors and fine toasted oak. The entry is fresh, gourmand and elegant with the classic mineral touch of the Priorat. A long lingering finish rounds of the wine with freshness and elegance." - Winemaker Notes
2022 Dandelion Vineyards Faraway Tree Grenache - $99 on offer ; $110 RRP
"Our Faraway Tree of McLaren Vale Grenache is a single vineyard perched atop an ancient ridge overlooking McLaren Vale. Earthy and yet also quite perfumed; classic McLaren Vale grenache musk and nosegay. Meaty, blackberried, mulberried, quince-pasted, and then a slice of pastrami, courtesy of the subtle oak. The aromatics and bouquet bounce off each other as the wine spends more time in the glass (and please use a big, rounded one, as you would for pinot noir). Depth and texture offset by a subtle savouriness and linear acidity. Gentle tannic gruffness is the essential third player in this naturally composed triptych. The background spice and roundness of mostly older oak just, just, sings out, but entirely in tune with those primary berry fruit flavours. The wine will reward cellaring and decanting." - Winemaker Notes
2020 Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf-du-Pape - $185 on offer ; $210 RRP
// 60% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre, 15% Syrah, 5% Other Varieties
"Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe has been run by our family, the Brunier family, for six generations. The estate's vineyards, 60 years old on average, are planted on the celebrated Plateau of La Crau, a site renowned for grape-growing in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. This terroir imparts to our wines a highly distinctive minerality, as if they have been filtered through the thick layer of large pebbles left behind when the Alpine glaciers melted, long before the Rhône Valley formed. Intense colour, attractive complexity, depth, generosity and velvet are the hallmarks of a Vieux Télégraphe wine." - Winemaker Notes
"Such a deep and meaty nose with a slew of wild-herb, savory and subtle balsamic notes. Then comes the expansive and very concentrated palate , which reveals so many spicy nuances as it rolls over the palate, the stunning fine tannins pushing the finish out even further. A grenache-based blend from 60-year-old vines." - 97 Points, JamesSuckling.com
2020 Yangarra High Sands Grenache - $260 on offer ; $300 RRP
"From the 1.7ha Block 31, the highest section of the 1946 bush vines. 50% whole berries, wild yeast open-fermented; matured in a foudre and ceramic eggs for 11 months. Truly great wines add something new on each taste; here, there’s an ethereal, otherworldly purity to the lingering finish and aftertaste." - 99 Points, James Halliday
"Medium crimson. Dried roses, strawberry apricot nectarine aromas with hints of sesame ,roasted walnut. Beautiful strawberry apricot, hint raspberry pastille flavours, fine loose knit chalky tannins with al dente textures and beautiful quartz-like acidity finishing with a feathery plume. Very minerally with lovely fruit complexity and torque. Drink now – 2040." - 97 Points, Andrew Caillard MW
If you wish to purchase any of these wines, please use the links above! Alternatively, email us at sales@thewineemporium.com.au, or contact us on (07)32521117 if you have any questions // Prices valid until Thursday the 13th of June