Winemaker Notes
Magenta with a bright ruby hue. A perennial favorite, Grenache from old vines shows its ability to exhibit lifted florals, juicy red fruit characters such as red cherry, red currant along with boysenberry and secondary notes of white pepper. The addition of Rhone varietals Counoise and Carignan add a savory and spicy complexity. Mataro adds aromas of beef jerky and Chinese five spice. The palate exhibits a medium-bodied texture with long acidity balancing a fruit freshness around a slightly firmer tannin frame than previous vintages.
Serve with an array of cuisines including spicy Asian or Mexican dishes.
Blend: 48% Grenache, 28% Mataro, 13% Carignan, 6% Counoise, 5% Shiraz
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Vibrant and lifted aromas of wild blackberries, raspberries, tobacco leaves and ferric earth. The palate is medium-bodied with finely integrated tannins and focused acidity, giving notes of blackberries, dried herbs and cured meat. Fresh with a savory undertone. A blend of 48% grenache, 28% mataro, 13% carignan, 6% counoise and 5% shiraz. Drink or hold.
-
Wine Enthusiast
This is a strong vintage of “Juveniles”, bursting with crowd-pleasing aromas of forrest fruit jam, violets, ground pepper and sage. It's mid-weight with succulence and silkiness, tugged into place by savory, pithy tannins. Drink up.
Editors' Choice -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Cuvee Juveniles is a blend of 48% Grenache, 28% Mataro, 13% Carignan, 6% Counoise and 5% Shiraz, and like the Cuvee Juveniles Blanc, is named after the wine bar for which it was created, Juveniles Wine Bar in the 1st arrondissement in Paris. The wine is savory and fresh, perfumed with abundant red fruits, flowers and exotic spices. In the mouth, you get star anise, fennel seeds, black peppercorns and fresh blood, and the mouthfeel is shaped by ferruginous tannins. While this wine may not be as complex as some others in the lineup, it lacks nothing in the way of freshness, personality and detail. It's a beautiful wine, from a cool and wet season in the Barossa. 15% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
Historically and presently the most important wine-producing region of Australia, the Barossa Valley is set in the Barossa zone of South Australia, where more than half of the country’s wine is made. Because the climate is very hot and dry, vineyard managers work diligently to ensure grapes reach the perfect levels of phenolic ripeness.
The intense heat is ideal for plush, bold reds, particularly Shiraz on its own or Rhône Blends. Often Shiraz and Cabernet partner up for plump and powerful reds.
While much less prevalent, light-skinned varieties such as Riesling, Viognier or Semillon produce vibrant Barossa Valley whites.
Most of Australia’s largest wine producers are based here and Shiraz plantings date back as far as the 1850s or before. Many of them are dry farmed and bush trained, still offering less than one ton per acre of inky, intense, purple juice.