2021 d'Arenberg The Love Grass Shiraz, McLaren Vale

The cool year gives the fruit here an appealing pitch, with a red-berried lean and some spice notes. This sees a lengthy stay in older oak, which clips a bit of that cooler-vintage brightness. This is the house style, though, to make tannin-intense reds that, even at an approachable tariff, need time – hence, the later release. This needs more softening still. Drink to 2030.

88 points Marcus Ellis for Halliday Wine Companion, August 2024

The Lovegrass is a named after a common vineyard weed with sticky flowers that affectionately attach themselves to vineyard workers’ socks.

The fruit was crushed into open fermenters and foot trodden two thirds of the way through the fermentation, after which the wine was basket pressed into well-seasoned French oak barrels. Blending took place after eighteen months in oak.

About this producer

The 1912 established d'Arenberg remains a family business, with fourth-generation Chester Osborn crafting bold, characterful wine with winemaker Jack Walton that continuing the family legacy of pushing the boundaries of the region.

The estate vineyards are substantial, with the family owning or leasing roughly 200 hectares in McLaren Vale, in addition to sourcing grapes from contract growers in the Adelaide Hils and the Fleurieu. Their own vineyards are certified organic and biodynamic, making family one of the largest biodynamic farmers in Australia.

The range of wines on offer is notable, with the winery vinifying nearly forty varieties in most seasons. The work at the winery remains highly traditional and labour-intensive despite their large scale, with all white and red wines pressed with gentle basket presses, and the red ferments foot-trodden by cellar hands in the original open concrete fermenters. The red wines are bottled without fining or filtration.