truly outstanding. What particularly stood out, especially in relation to Barossa grenache from five or 10 years ago, was their exceptional balance of generous, well-ripened fruit, alcohol and structure. In particular, the wines also showed delicious buoyancy, brightness and freshness of fruit that made them incredibly moreish. Of all the grape varieties tasted on our recent visit, the grenache bracket was by far the most diverse, which reflects the fact that many winemakers are still getting a handle on what works best with their fruit. More importantly, there is genuine excitement around the category, with winemakers experimenting with the use of stalks, carbonic maceration, picking times, various methods of extraction and oak ageing. As such, while there were many exceptional wines, Barossa grenache is still a work in progress. The wines that did not score well often felt like a step back in time to the old-fashioned South Australian grenache style. They were generally simple and jammy, with a heaviness and sweetness to the fruit, lacking in brightness and strong varietal typicity. Broadly, the wines fell onto a continuum, with luscious, fruit sweet wines at one end and stalky, savoury examples at the other. There were excellent wines in every style, although the real stars of the tasting were generally somewhere in the middle, showing both traditional Barossan power as well as carrying a distinctly savoury edge. They showed rich
Barossa 2022
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