1995 Clarendon Hills Grenache Clarendon Vineyard Old Vines
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Tasting notes
Pale to medium garnet-brick in color, the 1995 Old Vines Grenache unveils a great earthy, meaty and gamey perfume with some potpourri and Indian spices wafting in the background. Medium to full-bodied and concentrated, it has a medium level of chewy tannins, refreshing acid and a long, savory and earthy finish. Mature for drinking now. I am grateful to Roman Bratasiuk for presenting me with small verticals from his cellar of some of his greatest vineyard sources for this report, including the Merlot (as an indication that Merlot can do well in Australia!), the Old Vines/Romas Vineyard Grenache and a vertical of the Astralis vineyard Shiraz going back to 1991. Readers should note that the 2011 vintage Clarendon Hills wines are being released a little later than usual and therefore were not available for tasting in time for this report. However, I have been informed that they will be available for tasting very soon and will hopefully make the South Australia report. Importer: Wine Brokers Unlimited, Hayward, CA
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate
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Two of the most disappointing wines in the tasting included the 1995 Grenache Clarendon, which was drying out. Only hints of black cherries, loamy soil, and pepper remained, and the wine is becoming increasingly attenuated on the palate.The lesson with respect to these Clarendon Hills Grenaches is to drink them during their first 6-8 years of life.
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.