2022 Maxwell Four Roads Old Vine Grenache, McLaren Vale

Estate fruit destemmed and fermented for around a week before pressing to barrel to complete fermentation. This is on the road to the grenache revival, but there’s a bit of a nod to the past, too. Fruits are appealingly bright and red-berried, vibrancy clearly a strong consideration in the making. Though the barrels are 4 years or older, the oak-ageing has an impact, cinching the fruit in a little at this stage, with reasonably firm tannins running through a savoury finale. It’s a wine that is enhanced with a good decant, but still feels built expressly for food – and why not!

90 points Marcus Ellis winecompanion.com.au

These old Grenache vines have grown for 90 years on a classic contoured hill with a south facing aspect. They were bush vines with their thick trunks and sprawling arms until a few years ago when they were lifted up and put on a trellis wire to keep them ripening evenly as they grow older. The soil profile is a light loam over some clay and then deep limestone. The vines are hand pruned and hand picked for the highest quality fruit.