Grenache, S.C. Pannell, `Old McDonald` Blewitt Springs McLaren Vale, 2022, Australia

93 points
A full-bodied, dense style of Grenache; powerful and tannic. Chewy tannins and a long, pure finish. A touch of eucalyptus to the berry fruits.

Grown at 80m altitude near Blewitt Springs. Fermented in eight-year-old wooded vats, with a 12-15 day maceration and no punching down, just pumping over.

In a very short space of time, Stephen Pannell has gone from being one of Australia’s best and brightest young talents to one of their most lauded winemakers.

He is a two-time winner of the fabled Jimmy Watson Trophy, the most prestigious wine award in Australia, and also won the top prize at the Alternative Varietals Wine Show three out of the last five years. Stephen moved into his own McLaren Vale winery in 2014, and now owns 36 hectares of vineyard. This control over his fruit has enabled him to take quality to an even higher level.

One of the key factors behind his success is the freshness in all his wines, something he achieves by picking earlier. “I can only pick early due to better viticulture”, he says. He is looking for the varietal ‘stamp’ rather than ‘varietal character’ in his wines, causing him to create blends such as the Grenache/Shiraz/Touriga, where the sum is greater than the parts. Because of this fresher ‘stamp’, he is also actively reducing oak influence in his wines by moving to larger, more neutral oak vessels.

Powerful, structured, juicy dark fruits and savoury character of the ‘Old McDonald’ McLaren Vale Grenache from Blewitt Springs. Shows Grenache’s great potential for site expression in McLaren Vale and, says Stephen, “its place in the line-up of the world’s great varietal wines.”

Typical of a cooler McLaren Vale vintage with aromas of blood orange, pomegranate and Turkish delight, followed by blackberry, dark cherry and rose. A medium-body that carries flavours of chorizo and sweet paprika, supported by complex tannins and a prolonged finish.