Grenache from OZ vs Sangio from Chianti vs Tempranillo from Spain
Three grapes. Three countries. One killer 6-pack.
Australia is now making some of the best Grenache on the planet. The Lienert's Sieben Klon is made from 8 distinct clones. It is fragrant, medium bodied and delicious. Dandelion's Faraway Tree is sourced from the Firehawk Farm vineyard in McLaren Vale- perhaps the greatest region for Grenache on the planet. Chianti remains the spiritual home of Sangiovese, and Bartali one of its most excellent producers. Rioja sets the gold standard for Tempranillo. Carlos Serres are one of only 2 Rioja producers who have been at it for over a century - with old vines, incredible fruit density and an ability to consistently punch out ripping Temps. This magical six-pack spans the globe, yet will set you back just $180.
Whether you’re a Grenache fiend, a sucker for Sangiovese, or just want to see how Rioja stacks up, this is a rare chance to taste six benchmark wines side by side — no airfare required.
The Lienert’s have been farming in the Barossa for 150 years and decided to add some vines to their property about 20 years ago. The first fruit from 2004 and 2005 vintages went straight to the pool room, aka into Penfold’s St Henri. Funnily enough they then planted a lot more vines and introduced many more clonal variations of Shiraz and Grenache. This Grenache is a brilliant amalgam of aromatics and pristine fruit, thanks to the careful clonal selection and extensive blending trials undertaken before settling on the final ‘just right blend’. Whilst called Sieben Klon (Seven Clones) the Grenache actually includes 8 separate clones. This vintage is a little lighter, yet more aromatically lifted than the 21 vintage. It’s a cracker.
A deep and intense wine packed with red fruits, spice and cedar, with exceptional length and depth of fruit. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, and sourced entirely from Dandelion's own Firehawk Farm vineyard, which is one of the very best in McLaren Vale. Enjoy now or cellar for up to 10 years.
2021 is one of the finest Chianti vintages in living memory, rated at 98/100 by Wine Spectator Magazine. This is a superb organic Chianti intended for consumption over the next 5-10 years. It has the expected fruit intensity and tannin grip of a young Chianti so decant and enjoy this with protein if you are drinking in the next 5 years. Red fruits and leather here, dried cherry, salami, espresso and a waft or two of high quality tobacco. Lovely!
2020 was a low cropping, intensely fruited vintage - fairly consistently warm and foliage was retained until harvest; qualities which have led to an excellent vintage! This is a powerful wine with plenty of chalky tannins, so double decant a few hours before getting stuck into this one, and when you do, consider pairing with a lump of quality protein - will work beautifully with this wine's tannin profile. Red fruits here, dried cherries, tobacco, spice, hints of balsamic, oregano, coffee and more. This is complex, powerful and long, delightful now with a decant and one you can cellar for more than a decade.
Carlos Serres is a bit of an OG - one of the few Rioja producers with a century of winemaking behind them. Carlos, actually named Charles, was a French Winemaker who, fed up with dealing with phylloxera riddled vineyards, left Bordeaux and wound up in Spain. He founded the first winery in Rioja with export certification and applied French winemaking techniques to Rioja fruit. Pretty soon there was a demand for Rioja in the rest of Europe and the US.
Young and fresh but nonetheless intense, owing to the very low yields from the 2022 vintage. Fresh red and black fruits here, along with liquorice and a hint of vanilla. Zippy fruit and relatively high tannins make this a great match for protein.
Carlos Serres is a bit of an OG - one of the few Rioja producers with a century of winemaking behind them. Carlos was actually named Charles, a French Winemaker who left Bordeaux, fed up with dealing with phylloxera riddled vineyards, landing in Spain. He founded the first winery in Rioja with export certification and applied French winemaking techniques to Rioja fruit. Pretty soon, there was a demand for Rioja in the rest of Europe and the US.
Carlos Serres Crianza is 100% Tempranillo and spends 14 months in a combo of French and American oak. Being 'Crianza', the wine has spent a year in barrel, and another on bottle prior to release. Typically aged in older oak, Crianza can have quite assertive tannins and fruit which is intense whilst retaining great freshness. This is a particularly good example, packed with red fruits, cherries, spice, oak and nervy acidity.
Variety
Tempranillo
Tempranillo is a variety of black grape widely grown to make full-bodied red wines in its ...
Tempranillo is a variety of black grape widely grown to make full-bodied red wines in its native Spain. It is the main grape used in Rioja, and is often referred to as Spain's "noble grape". Its name is the diminutive of the Spanish temprano ("early"), a reference to the fact that it ripens several weeks earlier than most Spanish red grapes. In the last 100 years Rioja, Spain has been planted in Mexico, New Zealand, South America, USA, South Africa, Australia, and Canada.
In Australia
Tempranillo is now grown in many Australian wine regions including McLaren Vale SA, the Adelaide Hills, Wrattonbully and in Western Australia. There are now over 200 Au ... Read Full Article
