2006 Old Vines Grenache Clarendon Vineyard
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Tasting notes
The 2006 Grenache Clarendon is velvety, ripe, and sweetly fruited. It can be enjoyed in its youth but will provide pleasure for at least a decade. Roman Bratasiuk’s Clarendon Hills is one of the world’s great wine estates. The wines are all 100% varietal, produced from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Grenache, and Syrah. The vineyards are all ungrafted, planted on their own roots, most of them with very old vines. Only French oak is utilized, seasoned barrels for the Grenache, 100% new for the Merlot and Cabernets, and 50-100% new for the Syrahs depending upon the vineyard. The wines typically spend 18 months in oak prior to bottling without fining or filtration. All of the above 2006 bottlings were reviewed from barrel samples in Issue 173. The vintage was an excellent one, not quite as exceptional as 2005, but there may be cases in which selected 2006s may eventually outshine their 2005 counterparts. All of the 2006s fell within their predicted ranges (mostly near the high end) so I will keep my comments brief. Clarendon Hills 2006 Syrahs are superb. They appear to be less structured and more forward than the 2005s and will be more approachable early on. As an aside, Clarendon Hills’ USA importer does not bring in the Onkaparinga Grenache and Syrah cuvees. In Issue 173 I rated the Onkaparinga Grenache (92-95) and the Onkaparinga Syrah (92-95). Importer: E & J Gallo, Modesto, CA; www.clarendonhills.com.au
Critic scores
Average Score
Jay S Miller, Wine Advocate
Josh Raynolds
More reviews and scores
Deep red. Spicy redcurrant and wild strawberry on the nose, with subtle pepper and floral notes adding complexity. Lush red and dark berry preserve flavors are unencumbered by tannins, putting on weight with air. Liqueur-like in its sweetness, yet the raspberry and blackberry flavors are strikingly pure and focused. Very sexy wine.
The 2006 Grenache Clarendon is velvety, ripe, and sweetly fruited. It can be enjoyed in its youth but will provide pleasure for at least a decade. Feb 2009, www.robertparker.com
This impressive, deeply flavored 2006 Grenache offers profound aromas of dried meat, blackberry, chocolate and warm slate with an edge of coal fire. It's complex and drinks well, although firm-edged acidity and softening fruit suggest this is best enjoyed soon.
About the producer
Based in the McLaren Vale, Clarendon Hills has been one of the pioneering names in Australian wine. Focusing on single-site expressions of individual grapes, working with old dry-farmed vineyards, it has become one of the world’s leading producers, best known for its iconic Astralis Shiraz.