Clarendon Hills Grenache Old Vines Romas 2004

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Varietal: Grenache
Country: Australia
Region: McLaren Vale
Sub-Region: Clarendon

IWC

This vineyard was planted in 1925 in the conventional bush vine manner with no trellising.

The vineyard is very steep and faces due east, the soils contain high levels of ironstone, rock and quartz.

This is the highest part of the Blewitt Springs Vineyard and also the lowest yielding, about one tonne to the acre. The grapes are handpicked, usually quite early in the season, due to very low crops and the ability of Old Grenache to ripen.

The wine is made like all Clarendon Hills Wines, with natural yeasts and minimal intervention but sees no new oak barrels, usually 2-3 year old barrels of seasoned French barriques.

The resultant wine has a most exotic element to it reminiscent of Naomi Campbell in high heels wearing pink lipstick – wow!

Reviews:
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"Dense and peppery, but not heavy, with an expressive range of blackberry, cherry and pomegranate flavors that sail through the long, open-textured finish. A lovely spicy, peppery component lifts this Grenache's personality out of the ordinary. Best from 2008 through 2020." -Rated 95, Wine Spectator
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"The most backward, structured, tannic, and ageworthy of these offerings is always the Grenache Romas. The estate’s flagship Grenache, it is fashioned from 86-year-old vines planted on ironstone soils at the highest elevation of the Blewitt Springs Vineyard. The 2004 Grenache Romas exhibits gorgeous notes of loamy soil, truffles, kirsch, spice box, blackberries, and licorice. This full-bodied, powerful, tannic 2004 will benefit from another 1-3 years of bottle age, and should age easily for 10-15+ years" -Rated 94, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
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"Cropped at a measly half ton per acre, this is Clarendon Hills’ top Grenache bottling. It’s tighter and denser than the other, more flamboyant offerings, needing time in the bottle to develop. For now, it’s loaded with wonderfully pure blackberry and cassis fruit, but it promises to develop more complexity over the years; try from 2008–2020. Long and softly tannic on the finish. " -Rated 95, Wine Enthusiast
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"Dark violet. A huge, almost exotic bouquet of blackberry, boysenberry, candied cherry, vanilla, cinnamon and violet pastille borders on overwhelming yet retains remarkable vibrancy. Creamy and deep in the mouth, the candied and liqueur-like dark berry flavors showing superb concentration and energy, with a lush note of fruitcake coming up on the back end. Flat-out superb, with a combination of sweetness, depth and precision that's rare for grenache from anywhere." -Rated 94, Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

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