Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2005 Grenache Old Vines Romas Vineyard is textural and earthy, and this is far more loosely knit than the other two wines tasted alongside from the same vintage. I like the authenticity of this cuvée, and I find it to express itself with great elegance. It has notes of star anise and crushed rocks, a real dusty, earthy splash of tannin through the finish and an abundance of rose petals, woven all the way through it. Rating: 97+
-
Wine Spectator
Firm in texture, this is tremendously generous with its red cherry and lingonberry flavors. A bit tart, but so fleshy that it wins the day, picking up some welcome minerality as the finish goes on and on. Best from 2010 through 2017. 500 cases imported.
-
Wine Enthusiast
The most full-bodied and richly textured of the 2005 Grenaches from Clarendon Hills is the Romas. Its blackberry, chocolate and dried-spice flavors come at you in plush waves, showing great persistence on the finish. Despite the Cellar Selection designation, it’s probably best to drink this wine by about 2015.
-
Wine & Spirits
A massive grenache, this is neither sweet nor overpowering in its concentrated red fruit flavor. Instead, it manages a sort of generous elegance, with subtle complexity under a velvet texture. Earthy tannins follow that balance of controlled power. For the cellar.
Grenache thrives in any warm, Mediterranean climate where ample sunlight allows its clusters to achieve full phenolic ripeness. While Grenache's birthplace is Spain (there called Garnacha), today it is more recognized as the key player in the red blends of the Southern Rhône, namely Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Côtes du Rhône and its villages. Somm Secret—The Italian island of Sardinia produces bold, rustic, single varietal Grenache (there called Cannonau). California, Washington and Australia have achieved found success with Grenache, both flying solo and in blends.
Known for opulent red wines with intense power and concentration, McLaren Vale is home to perhaps the most “classic” style of Australian Shiraz. Vinified on its own or in Rhône Blends, these hot-climate wines are deeply colored and high in extract with signature hints of dark chocolate and licorice. Cabernet Sauvignon is also produced in a similar style.
Whites, often made from Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc tend to be opulent and full of tropical, stone and citrus fruit.