2023 Clos Clare Grenache a Cote Clos, Clare Valley

A lighter, trimmer reveal of grenache with tart cherry, smoky spice, dried herbs, black pepper and touches of game meat as themes within the wine. Chewy with ribs of slender, dusty tannin, quite dry and dusty through the finish but with a pleasing chomp to the wine. A little succulence and fresh red berry fruits linger. Charming drinking, is the message. Drink 2025 to 2030.

92 points Mike Bennie for Halliday Wine Companion, March 2025

Clos Clare has its origins as a sub-division of the historic Warilto homestead, home of the famed Florita vineyard in the Watervale subregion of Clare Valley. Its current custodians are Tom and Sam Barry, grandsons of Clare Valley pioneer Jim Barry and the third generation of a family that has shaped this region for decades. The brothers bring the same instinct for site and variety that runs through their family's history, but through their own voice and new ideas.

The Barry family purchased a separate Watervale vineyard in 2019 with old-vine Grenache planted in 1938 and 1954, an acquisition that gave Tom and Sam the opportunity to redefine the Clos Clare style through a Grenache. Fruit from this vineyard is hand-picked, destemmed and fermented in small 500kg open fermenters before resting in four- to five-year-old French oak hogsheads for nine months prior to bottling.

The 2023 is bright, fragrant and immediately inviting. Strawberry and raspberry compote open the nose with a hint of orange oil and sage. The palate is rich and silky, echoing the aromas with wild strawberry, cherry and blood orange. Fine tannins wrap gently around the fruit before a finish of cranberry-like freshness.

Light on its feet but genuinely complex, this is Grenache made with confidence and restraint. Serve slightly chilled, but not fridge cold. Anything that you’d eat with a nice medium bodied Pinot Noir would work here too, so grill some duck breast, or maybe a nice piece of peppered tuna, keeping both on the pink side.