Winemaker Notes
Savory herb and spicy fruit aromatics opening to reveal bright red cherry and rose flower notes. The palate is fine boned in structure, with fresh raspberry and purity of red fruits, schisty minerality finishing with fine dusty tannins.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This has attractively smooth and supple red-fruit aromas with pastry and some quite silky notes of red plums here, too. The depth is good. Agile and balanced.
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Wine Enthusiast
This vintage of Annexus Grenache, like Duval's Mataro, feels denser and more inward than in previous years. The components are all there, but longer bottle age may be necessary. The nose leads with black cherry, strawberry and oatmeal oak characters, laced with cumin and Middle Eastern spices. In typical Duval style, the palate is highly textured, expertly balanced and supported by taut, spicy tannins. Have patience and this wine should reward in spades. Drink 2022–2029.
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Wine & Spirits
Peppery and warm, this wine’s sunny strawberry-jam sweetness turns savory in the end, when it meets firm, spicy tannins and some mineral cut. It’s a gangly adolescent at the moment, but the structure should knit after a year or two in bottle. Then serve it with grilled game.
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.
The Barossa Zone encompasses the Barossa Valley and Eden Valley. Some of the oldest vines in Australia can be found here.
Barossa Valley of course is the most important and famous wine growing region in all of Australia where 140+ year-old, dry-farmed Shiraz vines still produce inky, purple and dense juice for some of Australia's best wines.
In the cooler, wetter Eden Valley sub-region, the Hill of Grace vineyard is home to famous Shiraz vines from the 1800s but the region produces also some of Australia’s very best and age-worthy Rieslings.