Friday, April 08, 2011

2006 d'Arenberg GRENACHE "The Derelict Vineyard" (McLaren Vale, Australia)


This was really good. I just love good Aussie Grenaches. They're the AC/DC of reds. Put on "For Those About to [Drink], We Salute You," and have at it. Anyway, this one was a bit less jammy and corpulent, and a bit more structured, than many from down under. But all the better for it.

Bright black ruby. Fragrant nose of bright, mineral-infused raspberry extract. Concentrated flavors, and a bit tighter in the mouth than most high-end Aussie Grenaches, it features intensely stony, spicy, raspberry fruit, as well as good weight and acids. Clingy, still somewhat tannic finish. This wine, atypically, will benefit from another year or two of aging. A-. Was $26 at Spec's on Smith.

1 comment:

Old Bridge Cellars said...

Glad you liked it, Tom. Agree with your comments on structure - d'Arenberg work with some amazing old vines that offer more stuffing than the simple raspberry jam examples. Cheers! Shae