2018 McLaren Vale Grenache

2018 has been an excellent vintage to drink since its release, not just for this wine but for many from South Australia. Given the wet and cool conditions of the 2017 year, the ground and vines were prepared for the warmth and heat of the 2018 vintage. This meant that despite the heat, the canopies looked fantastically healthy (albeit smaller in size given the dryness of the year), and the wines seem to display that same energy. So here, the 2018 Grenache explodes with dark fruits, sumac, pomegranate molasses and tarragon, with notes of dried herbs and crushed rock as well. A beautiful wine, it is ultra elegant and long. I love it. It has the power of a warm vintage but the mineral cool detail of a cool one, too. The yin/yang is its superpower. It bears noting, although draw from it what you will, that this is the first time the Grenache has been labeled under 15% alcohol. The 2018 vintage is 14.5% alcohol and sealed under screw cap.