Our Fathers Smart Vineyard Grenache 2024
G 96
All profits from the sales of Our Fathers goes to charity. This is sourced from old vines planted in Clarendon’s Smart Vineyard, with 20% whole bunch inclusion. Rose-scented sprays, Gala apple and strongly steeped rooibos tea. There is bitter wort, Bing cherries and dried maple leaf. An arch of tart raspberries and some silty tannins. This is altogether unique, and demonstrates why the iconic site speaks loudly. Extreme value here. Drink now–2033 Two Hands Dave’s Block Shiraz 2022 G 96 Dave’s block is an elevated site on Blewitt Springs, white sand over clay base. Some vines can lay claim to being over 110 years of age. This exemplifies the union of fruit and spice. Beginning with top of the tree mulberries, black cherries and moving into star anise, white pepper and dried fennel seed. Some flecks of purple olive, rosemary stems and grey silt. The palate is silky soft, tannins so fine they dance like dust motes on the palate. There are dots of red fruit, showing just how youthful this still is. A stunning wine that will age beautifully, with its minute detail making for one complex and tantalizing drink. Drink now–2035 Yangarra Estate Old Vine Grenache 2024 G 96 Fruit is sourced from un-irrigated bush vines that were planted in 1946. 50% crushed and 50% whole berries intact. Maturation in seasoned Austrian and French oak foudre and puncheons, egg and amphora. Black and crimson berries lead the charge with poppyseed, acai and pizza olives. Holy basil, granite and raspberry straps weave throughout. Fruit brightness is magnified on the palate, with an emphasis on mulberries and some powdery dry tannins that give way to forestry and woody herbs. There is an exultancy about this wine; you cannot deny its precision. A wonderful site expression and depiction of the slightly warmer conditions whilst keeping focus and drive at its centre. It’s jubilant and should be enjoyed with something like veal scallopini. Drink now–2035 Yangarra Ovitelli Blanc 2023 G 96 Some wines transcend their varietal makeup. While the technical details – winemaking choices, percentages, élevage – may matter to some, they dissolve entirely in the sheer experience of tasting. This is one of those wines. As I sit with it now, the specifics fade, and what remains is the ethereal bliss of an exceptional white. Notes of pineapple core, nashi pear, and starfruit emerge first. Yellow fruit pulp, dry sand, and pumpkin shells seem to scatter across the floor. There’s also a savoury edge of wholewheat flour, hay, and fennel seed. The palate delivers, not just in fruit, but in complexity: olive brine salinity and the savouriness of pickled winter melon elevate this from a simple sipping wine to a perfect pairing for poached chicken, pork rillettes, or three-cheese ravioli. The acidity, though a passenger to the driving fruit, carries enough energy to keep the wine bright and vibrant from start to finish. Drink now–2030
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The Vintage Journal
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