This Charming Man

It is inescapable, the need to compare the iconic grenache cuvees from this producer. Each superlative, vying for top position with the other each year, the seeding oscillating with vintage vagaries and mood. This is a richer geological mold, more ferrous of make up, resulting in a more ferruginous wine. Still, it’s mid-weighted of feel, due to the inherent freshness and bulletproof tannin profile, rocky and sublime. Thyme, dried lavender, kirsch, cardamon, tamarind and rose water. Exotic and resinous. Not the balletic pirouette of fragrance-meets-freshness of its sibling, necessarily. Yet, there’s more grunt, a little more extract, longer-limbed tannins and so much to believe in. Put this away for six-years and see what happens. I hedge towards magic, once the force-field of tannins settles. Drinkable now, but best from 2027. Screw cap.

From the cooler Clarendon subregion of McLaren Vale, there's complexity and elegance here that can be hard to achieve in hotter regions. There's fruit and florals aplenty, but they're gently expressed, woven into mineral and ground spice notes. Like a slinky black dress, it's modern yet classic, with restraint and drinkability.