2019 High Sands Grenache

1.7 ha plot of 80-year-old vines in Blewitt Springs planted by Bernard Smart and currently owned by the Jackson Family. Certified biodynamic since 2012. Dry year with low yields. Deep sand overlying red/orange clay. Block 31 is a 1.7-ha block and sits at an elevation of 210 m (698 ft). The vines are dry-grown, ungrafted bush vines. Hand-picked on 6 March. 50% destemmed whole berries. Open fermenters, with a long, gentle maceration for a minimum of 21 days. Spontaneous ferment. No press wine. Matured on lees in older, large French oak and ceramic eggs for 11 months. Bottled March 2020. pH 3.37. Winemaker Peter Fraser . Mid cherry red. Fragrant, scented and remarkably refined for a 14.5% Grenache. Showing development, some tertiary notes, but with lovely dry tannic freshness. A beauty that combines juicy fruit and tight, dry tannins. The fragrance and the structure are perfectly matched. (JH)

The 2019 High Sands delivers a powerful expression as it oozes with ethereal red licorice, baked earth and tobacco leaf aromas, with strong and attractive earthy undertones. Dry with a velveteen texture, it delivers waves of flavor punctuated by bright acidity before finishing with supple tannins.

Full bottle 1,603 g. Certified organic and biodynamic. Old bush vines planted in 1946. Single vineyard on sandy soils. Pale and clear ruby. Hibiscus florals and raspberry-leaf tea florality on the nose. So perfumed. Red apples. Fresh-shucked pomegranate seeds. Bite-bright acidity. Cherries doing handstands. Blood-orange citrus on a fairground carousel. Someone get this wine down from the trapeze. Absolutely out of this world. So pure and clear this is like listening to choirboys singing soprano in a cathedral with sunlight pouring through red stained-glass windows, dust motes dancing inches above foot-pressed-ancient flagstones with the faint smell of incense and a grandmother’s prayer shawl and old pew polish in the air. (TC)