Swinney Grenache 2021

The Wine Front – "This is so deliciously peppery. Black pepper, Texas tea, raspberry and black cherry with graphite, clove and mineral-like notes threaded through. It’s medium weight but there are plenty of bass notes, if that makes sense. It has a meaty darkness in among the brightness of the spice. It’s tight, dry and grapey through the finish; everything here suggests quality. Indeed this is a pretty special grenache." - Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)

Robert Parker/Wine Advocate – "The Swinney Grenache is grown on bush vines, on a northeast-facing slope in the gravels of Frankland River. It is so different from the wines produced in South Australia (McLaren Vale, Barossa, etc). I love the clarity and the bloodiness of the wine in this vintage. The tannins are infused throughout the fruit in this 2021 Grenache. Matured in large format neutral oak (3,500 liter), it is kept on lees the whole time. It has concentration, tension and pliability—ductile or something—there's cherry, pomegranate, blood, ironstone, gravel, minerals and spice. This is an awesome wine from an awesome site. There were 25% whole bunches in the ferment, and it is 90% Grenache, with some Mourvèdre and Syrah. "The wine is blended in the vineyard, not in the winery; I like picking and co-fermenting," says winemaker Rob Mann. "2021 was the cooler year in between two warm ones. This was a typical year with some summer rainfall (great for the later-ripening, dry-grown reds). As a result, the wines are more elegant, they have a finesse, precise aromatics, texture, without being heavy," says Mann. " - Erin Larkin (Robert Parker Wine Advocate)