Ranked #19 of 28 2013 Grenache from McLaren Vale
93/100
4.5 Stars
Huon Hooke
Deep-ish red with a tinge of purple and a very smoky, seemingly oaky bouquet, plus lots of crushed-rock mineral notes. The acid is high, the tannins abundant and firm, and the wine should be long-lived. It's very tight and firm. A total contrast to the rich, opulent fruit-sweet styles of lower altitude McLaren Vale sites. (14.5% alc.)
Tasted: 05/04/2016
Drink: 2020 to 2038
97 Points James Halliday
From the highest section of the vineyard planted '46 on the deepest sand, hand-picked, 50% whole berries, cold soak, open-fermented, wild yeast, matured in used French oak for 12 months. This is in another league altogether. There is total fusion between the fruit and tannins first up, oak likewise subsumed by the fruit. There is a bright display of a blaze of red fruits, so vivid the structural components are relegated to the back of the stage, where they will remain for the life of the wine. Drink to 2033.
James Halliday. March, 2023