Month: May 2017

2016 Z Wine Rustica Barossa Valley Grenache

Third post on my attempt at a blog and it’s another Grenache. Happy it suits the autumn cool, the weekday budget and the rustic hedonist. Appears to make nicely ripe tasty wine in South Australia’s warmth too. This one’s a Dan’s exclusive and a move in the right direction from overwrought big boned Shiraz. This bargain is slightly rose petal and floral anchored by that coal dusty raspberry typical of the Barossa. Really can’t see any oak flavour and the extraction’s more like a gently made Pinot than a Chesty Bonds Shiraz. Finally the acid seems natural and well settled into the whole, not always the case in wine at this price. You can only hope the suggestion Grenache is getting hip is mere hype. If Murphy’s want to dominate large scale wine sales, may it be with stuff like this.

92 points.

14.50% alcohol. Screw Cap. $14.99.

2015 Tocado Grenache Bodegas Borsao Campo de Borja

More Grenache or Garnacha in Spanish. Really do like this variety’s round honest ripeness that can still cling onto some good acidity and finish. A Dan Murphy direct import from Spain’s north east where it seems this heat loving camel of a grape thrives. Opens a little meaty and reduced but relaxes to simple but nicely ripe red fruits. A good medium to light mouthful of raspberry and herbs with some minerally  cut, that from my limited experience Borja and Navarra do seem to manage. No great depth but a balanced ripeness comfortable in its own skin. Astonishing that it can be grown, picked, made and bottled and hurled half way round the world for less than a tenner. Prefer it to its more expensive sibling, Tres Picos, which gets a bit too ripe and has some unnecessary sour oak flavouring. I’m almost bullish about this.

13.50% alcohol. Screw Cap. $8.90.

88 points