Stephen Pannell continues to excel with his amazing array of intriguing varietals and blends, capturing significant attention amongst critics and consumers alike. He is without a doubt a name to keep an eye on! Leap into something a little different and unique here, with a blend that manages to capture the essence of the Iberian Peninsula, Spain. Bright and juicy with medium weight, a highly perfumed spectrum of plum and dark berry fruits meet exotic spice and scented florals. There's even a slight meaty character adding to the complexity and gentle savoury tannins round out the package. In a word, delicious! 'The cool, wet summer of 2010-11 has imparted peppery and vegetal aromas, while the palate is medium-bodied and slightly edgy, with some leanness and not a lot of flesh. Smooth, appealing current drinking. A nice take on Portuguese - style reds. Ready to drink now to 2020.' - 90/100. - Sydney Morning Herald, 04 Jun 2013, by Huon Hooke.

Grenache is Australias signature grape variety and were slightly obsessed with it. Utilising a range of premium vineyards across The Barossa and McLaren Vale regions of South Australia, Thistledown have crafted a wine that captures all that is good about Grenache. Aromatic, deceptively light but with beautiful wild fruit, and slurpy, supple tannins.

This wonderful red wine flaunts a deep plum colour. The well balanced bouquet offers fragrances of red fruits and raspberries enhanced by a gentle touch of herbs. This delightful nose is followed by mouth-filling flavours of savoury fruit, complex spice and subtle vanilla oak on the palate. Integrated with fine tannins, the resulting drink is very approachable. This wine has been specially crafted to be enjoyed upon release, but can also be cellar for 3 to 7 years for later drinking.

https://s3-ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com/orchestracms/eosportal/pdf/tasting-notes/ox-hardy-mclaren-vale-grenache-2020.pdf

Old vines & sandy soil deliver a beautifully balanced Grenache with cherry blossom aromas, fresh berry palate and a long smooth finish

Grenache is enjoying a well-deserved moment, with a new generation of talented Aussie winemakers delivering deliciously fresh, approachable wines. This McLaren Vale Grenache is a superb example, from the exciting small-batch project Marsc Wine Co. Bringing acclaimed winemakers and prestige vineyards together covertly under a ‘masked’ label, they’re able to deliver great quality wines for brilliantly low prices. We can’t reveal who made this Grenache, but we can say that they have picked up some of Australia’s highest winemaking honours – namely, TWO Bushing Kings and a Jimmy Watson.

Dive into this 93pt medley of Rhône varieties from McLaren Vale's great Yangarra Estate! “34% Grenache Noir, 31% Carignan, 20% Cinsault, 8% Counoise 5% Shiraz and 2% Mourvèdre…Peter Fraser… ensured the Shiraz and Mourvèdre were fermented separately and this has produced a wine full of enchantment. A real mosaic of brambly black fruits and wildly exotic red hibiscus and rose bud. Davidson plum, Acai and crushed black coal… This wine feels like its other worldly, delightfully nuanced and a real treat for adventurous drinkers, or those that appreciate wine that ticks all the boxes. Serve with Malaysian Lamb Rendang. 93pts.” (Shantah Wale, WinePilot). “Arguably the best site in Blewitt Springs, and, indeed, exceedingly beautiful, Yangarra Estate is undeniably one of the most consistent and remarkable producers in McLaren Vale.” (Halliday) It was established in 2000, and with vineyards biodynamically certified, it specialises in Southern Rhône varieties. “With deep sadness, the Australian wine industry farewelled one of its greats when winemaker Peter Fraser tragically passed at the end of ’25. The tapestry of McLaren Vale vine will forever be richer for the knowledge, time and skill he imparted." (KATRINA BUTLER, The Halliday Wine Companion).

PF= Preservative Free, but might also stand for 'purple florals'. "You’ll find the Yangarra generosity here in a spiced laden Grenache full of blackberries, blueberries and prune plums. There is a boysenberry jam kick with clove, bay leaf and bitter cocoa. The wine is slippery on the palate with powdery tannins and a juicy frame. Slosh around in a decanter to make the most of those purple florals. Serve with beef and black bean stir fry. 92pts” (Shanteh Wale, WinePilot). “Arguably the best site in Blewitt Springs, and, indeed, exceedingly beautiful, Yangarra Estate is undeniably one of the most consistent and remarkable producers in McLaren Vale.” (Halliday) It was established in 2000, and with vineyards biodynamically certified, it specialises in Southern Rhône varieties. “With deep sadness, the Australian wine industry farewelled one of its greats when winemaker Peter Fraser tragically passed at the end of ’25. The tapestry of McLaren Vale vine will forever be richer for the knowledge, time and skill he imparted." (KATRINA BUTLER, The Halliday Wine Companion).

Delightful – and food friendly, 93pt blend of Grenache and Carignan from the Leask Brothers, whose Hither & Yon winery specialises in interesting varieties and blends. "Off grenache (60%) vines planted in 2009 and carignan (40%) in 2014 from the Sand Road vineyard. This, the first release, is very much in a bistro weight. The buoyant red-berried grenache is lively and juicy, with carignan adding scrubby herb and spice notes, the enthusiasm of the former balanced but not quelled by the latter. It’s an appealing wine, with a zippiness to the finish that will see it work nicely with so many foods, from lighter vegetable plates to fattier meat dishes. 92pts." (Marcus Ellis, The Halliday Wine Companion). John Lehmann, writing in The Australian agrees: "Fruity is as fruity does: from the sweet, intense nose of raspberry, blackberry and vanilla to the plush, generous palate. With flavours too of coffee and mocha with some earthy notes and herbs, it’s a happy marriage of grenache’s ripeness with the meatier tones of the carignan which make this so very food-friendly. "