"The 2021 The Vagabond Old Vine Grenache is exotic, fine and layered with silty, black tea tannins. It is the mid-palate onward where the succulence of fruit is revealed, and this comes across as fine but flows up with lithe, ripe fruit and complex spice notes. Eminently balanced and poised, this fills the mouth and the mind simultaneously. Yes."

"Such a fine vintage, reverberating across such a great wine. Pithy cherry, cranberry, raspberry bon-bon, anise, thyme and basil. The leitmotif, the thrust of a superbly extracted tannic kit, sandy and pixelated, juxtaposed against the parry of fruit so refined that one can only believe."

"Aromas of red cherries, baked strawberries, violets, crushed stones and suede. Medium- to full-bodied with silky tannins. Succulent and mouthwatering. Mineral notes add definition and a hint of saltiness, which creates wonderful integration with the pretty red fruit. Floral as well. Lovely."

"So much perfume here. Dried flowers, thyme, spice, orange peel, raspberry and strawberries. It’s medium-bodied, quite tense and firm, fine sandy grip to tannin, brightness and so much energy, a subtle meaty edge, dry with plenty of grip and superb shape to the long finish, and fresh red fruits and fragrance to close. An outstanding expression of Grenache."

"Deep, bright red/purple colour, with a fragrant bouquet of black fruits and fresh herbs, aromatic and bold, a hint of coconut, the palate lusciously fruit-sweet at its heart and backed by firm but gentle tannins that are in good balance while supplying appropriate structure. Extra length. I’d give it a year more, but it's a good drink now. I especially enjoy its freshness and vitality."

"Blend of three or four vineyards every year. On average 50-year-old bush-vine Grenache.
Sweet red fruit – redcurrant, raspberry, cranberry (like Pinot Noir but without the anaemia). Proper structural grip here, light in body but with furry tannin. Black-olive character on the finish. The delicate side of Grenache."

"Deep, bright purple-redcolour; a gently scented bouquet of raspberry and blackcurrant pastilles, fringed with subtle spices. The wine is full bodied and there are ample fine-grained tannins that impart pleasing structure and contribute to its length. A very smart grenache that will age well but can also be enjoyed young."

"The 2022 She's Electric Old Vine Single Vineyard Grenache features 50% whole bunches in the wild ferment, but it doesn't smell or feel more bunchy than the others, showing a sensitive approach to winemaking suited to individually fit the vineyard sites. Cool. On the nose, there is Valencia orange, raspberry coulis, cumin seeds, saffron, licorice and wet asphalt/ozone. This is gritty and savory in the mouth, more earthy than some of the others, but I do love that about it—it gives some savory yin to the sweet yang. The wine lingers in a lavender/ylang yang way, floral and petal-y. Lovely plus."

"Dry-grown old bush vines. The norm. This time, in Seaview. Lower elevation. Reddish sandy loams littered with quartz and ironstone. This has greater concentration than the Vagabond grenache, yet without quite the detail or saveur. Damson plum and marasca cherry. Anise, thyme, menthol and lavender. A tad drying. A delicious wine of an expansive mid-palate, intensity of fruit and prodigious length, yet without the translucent pinosité and levity that marks the very best examples of grenache from the Vale."

"Seaview, hence. different. Rich, ironstone/ferrous thing, raspberry, cherry, hazelnut and carob, lots of flesh and tannin, fruit is more on the down low, maybe a little lacking in the mid-palate, but the earthy/choc/ferrous things are the main driver here. Still, distinctive and very good."

"The qualitative apogee when it comes to grenache, rivalled by few and equalled only by Yangarra. Even better than the superb 2021. Sourced from the highest, coolest site in the Vale, the venerable Smart vineyard. Ironstone imparts a ferrous bite to pithy sour cherry, cranberry, campfire, pomegranate, tamarind and sandalwood notes with a grind of white pepper across a lattice of pin bone tannins, curtailing sweetness while promoting stunning length. This is excellent. Superb! Transparent and brimming with a sense of pinoté, like a mini Rayas. A great wine of the present as much as the future. Among Australia's very greatest reds. I don't score above 97, but this could be worth a point higher."

"The 2022 The Charming Man Single Vineyard Grenache hails from a single vineyard in Clarendon, named after Bernard Smart. I haven't met a producer in McLaren Vale yet that doesn't light up at the mention of this man and his vineyard. So, to the wine. It offers blood orange, rosemary, a hint of sage, fresh blood, layers of raspberry pip, a hint of star anise and loads of ground exotic five spice. This is supple and flowing in the mouth, with the 20% whole-bunch inclusion a suggestion of complexity and not an overwhelming quality. All of the components are in balance and harmony: it has no more fruit than tannin, no more flavor than freshness, no more complexity than vivacity. This is sensational and comes from an excellent vintage to boot."

"Clarendon. Some vines up to 100 years of age. Black and red fruits, baking spice, floral too, with some thyme and cocoa. It’s lively, quite stony in feel, a lovely crunch and freshness to acidity, quite concentrated but still light on its feet. The finish pulls more to spiced strawberry and raspberry, with flowering herb perfume on a very long finish. Delightful."

"Made from bush-vine Grenache grown by the ‘charming’ Bernard Smart at Clarendon, in the high north-east corner of McLaren Vale. Ambient-yeast fermented with 20% whole bunch, pressed off to hogsheads, 25% new. This has the aromatic expressive quality you expect to see in slightly cooler-site Grenache in this part of the world – vinous, complex, roses and red lollies– and a lovely, layered quality to the tannins, both crunchy and slippery."

"Hooley dooley. Good. This 2021 Sands of Time Old Vine Single Vineyard Grenache shows Grenache in its best light; when the fruit is buoyant, succulent, airy and spicy, but also when it has been compressed and screwed down into place by gossamer fine tannins. This is tight yet expansive, classy yet exciting: a wine of amalgums and complexity. So what does it taste like? First, raspberry leaf tea, red licorice, berry coulis... then blood, ferrous and iodine seep into the edges and drag with them licorice, pink peppercorn, hung deli meat and a whiff of blackberry pie. It finishes slender, with graphite and quartz. The cooler year has exposed a fine framework of ripe, whippy tannins, which hold the fruit in place—ever-present yet invisible. What a wine."

"Raspberry, lilac and rosehip behind. The tannins, a saline scape of bridling force that stretch from the attack to the long, chalky finish. Delicious. Concrete ferment, layered bunches and destemmed material to promote perfume and a mezcal whiff of the best parts beyond a border of control. Saliva-sapping energy."

"Deep-ish, bright, bold red-purplecolour; the intensity of earthy/ironstone/savoury aroma and flavour is superb, and the finish long. Concentrated, brooding, with rich and fleshy mouth-feel. An impressive wine of dimension and power as well as elegance. Outstanding wine from a textbook season."

"Raspberry, rosehip, a gently saline and earthy character. Deep flavour, firm slightly sandy feel to tannin, though tight, plenty of tannin and crunch to a long finish. So good."

"A vintage that will go down in history as among the very best of all time, although it was a bit easy for grenache, according to maker Giles Cooke MW. There wasn't enough of a struggle, given that grenache likes a nudge of adversity. Scintillating complexity here, all the same. Scents of tea tree, black olive, dried scrub, bergamot, licorice root, kirsch and thyme. An edgy wine. Angular shape-shifting tannins, not yet resolved. Mid-weighted of feel. Shins and elbows, trying to sort itself out amidst the pangs of youth. It will. It just needs time. Best after 2025."