d’Arenberg Derelict Vineyard Grenache – Some years ago, chief winemaker Chester Osborn, sought out additional super premium Grenache fruit from McLaren Vale to meet the high demand for d’Arenberg’s Grenache-based wines. Many very old vineyards showed promise but had not been used for grape production for decades. Long bracken ferns and native grasses were taking over and the vines themselves resembled Medusa’s hair – wild, struggling and gnarled. This was the inspiration in the naming of this wine. Taming and rejuvenation of these vineyards has patiently occurred over several years although some vines still look rather hard-done-by and only produce very low yields of exceptional quality.
The grapes are trodden by foot and basket pressed and the wine aged in French barrels to produce a great grenache wine.
The nose, as would be expected in a cooler year, is teeming with red fruits and florals. Raspberry and cherry with a hint rose and violet. The true giveaways to the vintage however, lie in the distinct white pepper and spice notes . The palate follows suit with bright red fruit and spice. This is not a particularly fleshy Grenache but the flavours remain concentrated and are driven along by a wave of vibrant acidity and minerally tannins. Different subtleties of flavour become apparent on the lengthy finish. This all leads to a wine that is pretty and refined but with an underlying sense of muscle.
Small batches of grapes are gently crushed and then transferred to five tonne headed down open fermenters. These batches remain separate until final blending. Foot treading is undertaken two thirds of the way through fermentation. The wine is then basket pressed and transferred to a mixture of old French and American oak barriques to complete fermentation. The barrel ferments are aged on lees, and there is no racking until final blending. The Derelict Vineyard does not undertake fining or filtration prior to bottling.
d’Arenberg Derelict Vineyard Grenache is a great example of Grenache from Maclaren Vale.
See our full range of d’Arenberg product at https://www.auswinesonline.co.uk/product-category/darenberg/
For more information on the winery go to https://www.darenberg.com.au/
See our blog on this product at https://www.auswinesonline.co.uk/darenberg-derelict-vineyard-grenache/
£24.00 a bottle
1 in stock
“d’Arenberg is an icon of the McLaren Vale, dating back to 1912. Chief winemaker Chester Osborn is the great-grandson of the founder, Joseph Rowe Osborn. Chester now oversees a stellar (and ever-expanding) range of strangely named and exquisitely crafted red and white wines.
The oldest of the d’Arenberg blocks were first planted in the 1880s with Shiraz, and still contribute to the wines today.”
The McLaren Vale is predominately a red wine region, producing some of the best red wines in South Australia. Vineyards were first planted in the mid 1800s. One of the early pioneers Thomas Hardy established a business that evolved to BRL Hardy, one of the largest wine companies in the country. The region also has a healthy number of boutique wineries that consistently make fine wines and experiment with different wine styles. The climate is warm to hot with dry summers, and benefits from cooling breezes from the St Vincent Gulf. The main wine styles: Red – Shiraz (rich, ripe & generous), Cabernet Sauvignon; White – Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc.
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