2020 Ovitelli Grenache

Full, cork-stoppered bottle 1,542 g. Sourced from Block 30 (two ha, planted in 1946 and adjacent to the High Sands block). Hand-picked (21 March) and selectively berry sorted. 100% destemmed, crushed and tipped into 675-litre ceramic eggs. Fermented in the eggs and aged on skins for 170 days. No pressings are used in this wine. No oak, matured exclusively in the eggs for a total of 11 months. Bottled March 2021. Transparent ruby. Very rich, sweet and floral on the nose. Fresh and a little gamey on the palate which is not as long as I expected but has an attractive sweet freshness on the end. Very light grainy tannins but absolutely ready to drink. Flattering but probably best served a little cool. Delicate. (JR)

More dark plum fruit and purple flowers here with a deep minerality of crushed stones, clay and tea leaves. It’s medium-bodied and well structured with firm, tightly formed tannins. Mineral freshness. Dips in and out of a deep, dark and brooding character. Still tight but round textured and then chewy at the end. Grenache from vines planted in 1946. Fermented and remains on skins for 170 days, with total maturation in ceramic eggs for 11 months. From biodynamically grown grapes. Try after 2023. Screw cap.

The fruit for the 2020 Ovitelli Grenache is sourced from bush vines planted in 1946, just after the second World War. This is incredibly fine. It is pure and layered with blood, red licorice, crushed minerals, black tea, satsuma plum, black cherries and framed by ferrous tannins. What a joy this is... it lingers in the mouth long after the wine is gone, allowing for a bit of chew and thought before the next sip. Elegance 101.