Ranked #16 of 91 2021 Grenache from McLaren Vale
95/100
5 Stars
Huon Hooke
Medium-depth purple-red colour with a reserved but fragrant bouquet of red fruits and floral overtones, a note of blackberry pastille, a subtle lacing of fresh herbs, and a sheen of firming tannins coating the palate from start to finish. Long and promising: a very smart grenache
Tasted: 01/01/2023
Drink: 2025 to 2035
95 Points James Halliday
Hand picked and wild fermented. The norm here. Long, gentle extraction in amphorae, with 69% on skins for 198 days, gleaning long-limbed tannic nourishment and the sense of pixelated freshness that marks so many of the grenache wines. While the buzz is around Blewitt Springs, Clarendon expresses a more ferrous and firm iteration. Pithy. Nobly bitter, if not a little unresolved at the finish. Cherry cola, licorice root, dried thyme, bergamot, raspberry and persimmon. Latent but very fine. Your patience will be appreciated. Drink to 2031.
Ned Goodwin MW. August, 2023