d’Arenberg Derelict Vineyard Grenache – Some years ago, chief winemaker Chester Osborn, sought out additional super premium Grenache fruit from McLaren Vale to meet the high demand for d’Arenberg’s Grenache-based wines. Many very old vineyards showed promise but had not been used for grape production for decades. Long bracken ferns and native grasses were taking over and the vines themselves resembled Medusa’s hair – wild, struggling and gnarled. This was the inspiration in the naming of this wine. Taming and rejuvenation of these vineyards has patiently occurred over several years although some vines still look rather hard-done-by and only produce very low yields of exceptional quality.
At a time when Grenache was considered unfashionable Chester Osborn maintained a vigilant search for old vine McLaren Vale
Grenache vineyards, showing faith in a variety that has been central to d’Arenberg since the very beginning. His search
unveiled a number of old bush vine and poorly maintained trellised vineyards in various states of disrepair.
Winter and Spring rains were quite good which meant vigour was high. October and November saw some cooler weather
which made flowering and set spread out over a long period with an intense short heat wave in the middle of set reducing the
crop significantly. A nice rain on the 1st of February set the vines up well and mild to cool, dry, weather prevailed. A few slightly
warmer nights in the later part of ripening helped the last sugar push. Yields were down significantly, the lowest in memory,
however, quality is exceptional. Some of the best wines seen for years. Great colour, fruit characters, flavours and length.
Walking the vineyard rows and tasting grapes, Chester determines the ideal picking time for each individual vineyard.
Small batches of grapes are gently crushed and then transferred to open fermenters. Foot treading is undertaken two thirds of
the way through fermentation, the wine is basket pressed and transferred to a mixture of new and old French oak to complete
fermentation and mature for 12 months
The deep colour makes an announcement on how intense this wine will be. Fresh on the nose with a mix that starts evolving from
red fruits like raspberry and rhubarb, goes through spicy notes and finish with more black fruits like plum and liquorice. The
palate is superb. An initial wave of fresh red fruits, cherries and raspberries makes room for a rich and spicy impact in the mid-palate.
Herbal notes freshen the tone. The acidity is on point with the medium body and precise oak treatment. The tannins are firm and
polished. Outstanding quality, ready to enjoy now but will cellar for longer if this is what you are after.
d’Arenberg Derelict Vineyard Grenache is a great example of Grenache from Maclaren Vale.
To see our full range of d’Arenberg product please click here
For more information on the d’Arenberg wines and winery click here.
An iconic Australian winery producing wines loved the whole world over.
£26.00 a bottle
12 in stock
d’Arenberg is an icon of the McLaren Vale, dating back to 1912. Chief winemaker Chester Osborn is the great-grandson of the founder, Joseph Rowe Osborn. Chester now oversees a stellar (and ever-expanding) range of strangely named and exquisitely crafted red and white wines.
The oldest of the d’Arenberg blocks were first planted in the 1880s with Shiraz, and still contribute to the wines today.”
The McLaren Vale is predominately a red wine region, producing some of the best red wines in South Australia. Vineyards were first planted in the mid 1800s. One of the early pioneers Thomas Hardy established a business that evolved to BRL Hardy, one of the largest wine companies in the country. The region also has a healthy number of boutique wineries that consistently make fine wines and experiment with different wine styles. The climate is warm to hot with dry summers, and benefits from cooling breezes from the St Vincent Gulf. The main wine styles: Red – Shiraz (rich, ripe & generous), Cabernet Sauvignon; White – Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc.
This website uses Cookies to improve your browsing experience. View Cookies Policy
I'm fine with this