Yalumba Samuel Smith Collection Barossa Bush Vine Grenache 2021
Price: $26.95
Channel: LCBO Vintages
Producer: Yalumba
Country: Australia
Region: South Australia
Appellation: Barossa
Grapes: Grenache
Alcohol by Volume: 14.5%
Sugar Content: 3 grams per litre
The Yalumba winery has remained in the Hill-Smith family for six generations, and this series of wines named after its founder focuses on old vines. The Grenache vines from which the 2021 Bush Vines was made were planted between 1920 and 1976. Old vines concentrate the intensity of their low yielding fruit. In this case the result is remarkable: a pure expression of Grenache without the need for support from that grape’s usually blending partners.
Does the 2021 Bush Vines Grenache remind me of a muscular Pinot Noir? Or is it a finer boned Nebbiolo? It’s performing the trick of being light and heavy at the same time. The fruits are red, but darkly: cerise and raspberry that’s turning into blackberry. Something is holding it all together, but the tannins are silky and the mouthfeel is clean. There’s a hint of mint on the finish. It’s delicious.
Yalumba’s Bush Vines Grenache strikes me as eminently versatile. As a carnivore, I’d put it to duck confit or a pork chop, but the brightness of the fruit might make an interesting contrast to mushroom dish. Best, in any event, served with fun.
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