Clarendon Hills Onakaparinga Vineyard Old Vine Grenache, Clarendon, Australia

克拉倫敦山歐那卡帕靈加園老藤歌海娜干紅葡萄酒

點擊次數(shù)：3594

My favorite of the 2007 Grenache cuvees is the 2007 Grenache Onkaparinga. Aside from being the most approachable, it has the most enticing perfume with its notes of underbrush, incense, lavender, black cherry and blackberry liqueur. Velvety but with some underlying tannin, it has succulent fruit, impeccable balance, and a lengthy finish. It will benefit from 1-2 years of cellaring but can be enjoyed now. In a sign of the times, pricing for Roman Bratasiuk’s Clarendon Hills portfolio has been reduced by close to 50% across the board. Suddenly, most of the wines offer an excellent price to quality relationship. As usual, the Clarendon Hills wines are unblended, 100% varietal, sourced from mostly old-vine, ungrafted, single vineyards, fermented naturally, and bottled without fining or filtration. Only seasoned oak is used for the Grenache bottlings, 100% new French oak for the Merlot and Cabernets, and 50-100% new French oak for the Syrahs depending upon the cuvee. There is a new addition to the portfolio, a Mourvedre sourced from 12 year old vines and aged in 2 year old French oak. The year 2007 was more difficult than the three that preceded it, marked by a 45-50% reduction in crop levels and elevated tannin from the resulting thick skins. As Bratasiuk notes, “Tight, drying tannin is the hallmark of the vintage.” Nevertheless, this is an impressive collection from one of Australia’s icon wineries.Importer: E & J Gallo, Modesto, CA; www.clarendonhills.com.au