JM 1ST APPROACH

Stephen Pannell has had a great winemaking career but it can be hard to find any great wines in his trail. I've never met him strangely enough but this point has often made me wonder whether he's over-rated. This grenache of his from 2010 though is The One. This McLaren Vale Grenache was made from 70 year old dry grown bush vines. the grapes were hand harvested and traditionally vinified in small concrete open top vessels. the wine was aged in old French oak hogheads for 18 months. Bushing King 2011 - Gold Medal winner, Trophy Winner, stunning Grenache!

McLaren Vale Grenache can make terrific wine, and arguably more often and better than the Barossa Valley does. Here’s a fine example off 60-year-old vines. Spice, with cinnamon foremost, high perfume, red licorice and red fruit tempered by savoury earthen elements. Medium weight with lovely texture – a sweep of finegrained tannin and fresh, unforced acidity – all even and perfectly pitched with an impressively long palate. Cranberry freshness and a sort of almond flavour add further appeal. Likely to improve and gain complexity, if you can wait. Irresistible. GW Score: 95+ points Drink: 2013-2020+

Pure essence-y, concentrated and deep: strawberries – fruit and pips – plus toffee. There’s brick dust and older oak Stilton-like smells too. Fabulous. And the palate is fabulous too, but more specifically it is super-deep fruited, intense, slippery textured. 96/100, 10/10, $63. Tim White AFR