2024 MMAD Vineyard Blewitt Springs Grenache, McLaren Vale

Best Australian Grenache Trophy at the International Wine Challenge

MMAD red wines have a whole new groove and by that I mean they are now sealed under Diam closure, and what a win that is for those that are lucky enough to own a Coravin because this sure is a wine to be savoured each and every sip. Holy heavenly aromas batman, this is seduction in a glass. Tea rose, sweet pea and framboise rise from the glass, followed by an evocative turn into a Chinese tea shop: oolong, burdock root and fine spice. There’s an otherworldly finesse on the palate, where silty, time-worn tannins settle into place with quiet authority.  Acidity pulls back like a gathering tide before surging forward with freshness and energy, giving the wine both tension and lift. The fruit and shape reminds you of its Grenache but not like anything you have had before. This is truly special in every way. What to drink with this, well stewed game meats would work nicely but I would be inclined to go for Chinese pork floss milk buns whilst you fall into a soft couch in total happiness. Remarkable wine.

98 points Shanteh Wale for Wine Pilot, July 2026

Now bottled under diam, a preference based on tasting trials. This is in excellent form – duskily floral, mineral, with old-vine depth and balance, silky, plush in the right way through the mid-palate, bunch notes adding ultra-subtle spice and chewy tannin to the sandy, silty skin tannin. There’s something about the fruit, off those ’39 vines on sandy soils, that is so distinctive, with deep blue and purple florals, sultry and spicy, dark red fruits, ripe but weightless. There are also blue fruit tones and a maritime, iodine quality, an iron oxide note present but not dominant. The aroma is showstopping but not showy. In fact, it took me some time to taste the wine, such is the allure; but the palate confirms that this is likely the best release yet. Drink to 2036.

97+ points Special Value Marcus Ellis for Halliday Wine Companion, May 2026

Grenache is having more than a moment, what we are seeing is a veritable downpour of great wines. Here is one Grenache that goes deeper into exploring the grape variety, seeking out the variety’s darker herbal side and it’s an intriguing taste. Immediately captivating in aromas of dark cherry, plum, aniseed, baking spice and toast. Great depth of flavour runs smooth across the palate, quite elegant in execution, with a rush of wild herbs a central feature. Deep set black cherry, plum, wild herbs, chocolate, vanilla are folded in and spread across balanced tannins. Great drinking now and into the future. Drink to 2036.

95 points Jeni Port for Wine Pilot, July 2026

MMAD Vineyard brings together four formidable names in Australian wine: Martin Shaw, Michael Hill Smith MW, Adam Wadewitz and David LeMire MW. Their old vineyard at Blewitt Springs has become one of McLaren Vale’s most exciting sites, with Grenache particularly at home in its deep sandy soils. The project may be relatively young, but the vines certainly are not, and the wines have quickly earned a serious following.

The Grenache comes from old bush vines planted in 1939, growing in the elevated, coastal influenced conditions of Blewitt Springs. Deep sand keeps vigour naturally low and allows the old vines to reach deep for moisture, while cooling breezes from the Gulf help preserve fragrance and acidity. The 2024 has that lovely modern McLaren Vale Grenache character where concentration comes without heaviness, letting perfume, spice and fine tannin do much of the talking.

Brilliant ruby with a translucent crimson edge, the bouquet is immediately enticing with wild raspberry, Morello cherry and redcurrant, followed by rose petal, blood orange and lavender. Fennel seed, pink peppercorn, dried thyme and a little liquorice add savoury detail. The palate is beautifully supple, with juicy red fruit flowing across fine, sandy tannins. Cherry, raspberry and orange peel give way to fragrant herbs and spice, finishing long, fresh and lightly earthy.

Give it lamb kofta with sumac and yoghurt, Korean glazed pork belly, grilled quail with pomegranate, harissa roasted eggplant or a spicy nduja and capsicum pizza. Our pick is the quail. Its smoky skin, sweet meat and pomegranate against the Grenache’s raspberry, blood orange and spice should be magnificent. Drink now to 2038.