RIGHTEOUS GRENACHE 2018

Since 2005, each vintage we’ve bottled tiny quantities of what we reckon to be supreme, single vineyard examples of the Barossa’s heritage grape varieties under the Righteous label.

The 2018 Righteous Grenache  hails from a vineyard at Moppa in the Northern Barossa, planted in deep sand over red clay, with ironstone scattered throughout.The fruit was picked by hand, gently crushed and fermented in open fermenters with regular pump-overs. After pressing the wine spends two years in 40% new French puncheons, with the balance going into old oak barrels between 3 and 6 years old.

2018 was a stellar vintage , particularly for Grenache and Mataro. I haven’t seen quality of these varieties like this since 2009. The wines are rich and dense with fantastic balance of acidity and tannin, but this particular vineyard performed head and shoulders above the others. Perfect fruit expression and a vibrant spicy lift. Delicious!!

Trust me – you’ll need at least a sixer of this gear if you’re the type to try and cellar  – three for now,  three for the cellar!!!!

KYM TEUSNER, WINEMAKER

Very good colour given the vintage and variety; there is a range of fruit flavours from cherry to raspberry to plum, backed up by tannins and a dash of oak.

94 points , James Halliday Australian Wine Companion October 2013

Deep-ish red, slight purple, raisiny, squashed-antsy, somewhat overripe aromas. Sweet, deliciously ripe flavours, soft and supple, rounded and balanced, with an almost pinotysuperripe sweet black-cherry fruit character. Lovely wine, soft and fleshy and fruit-sweet. Silken texture. Drink:2013-2023

92 points, Huon Hooke, September 2013

Medium to deep garnet-purple in color and redolent of crushed red currants, kirsch and red plum preserves infused with an undercurrent of orange peel plus white and black pepper, the full-bodied 2011 Righteous Grenache gives a good amount of red fruit flavor marked by lively acid and a low to medium levels of soft tannins. It finishes with lingering, peppery notes. Drink it now to 2020+.

91+ points, eRobertParker.com, #211, February 2014

I don’t much like to taste new oak in Grenache, though maybe that’s just me. Sweet oak spice, licorice, earthy/mulchy stuff (in a good/interesting way) and mixed berries. Light and spicy with a pleasant sense of freshness in amongst some twiggy 2011 vintage character fruit and oak derived flavours. Tannin is shapely and lightly grainy, and because it’s not a big wine as such, does show a bit of alcohol warmth. Finish is great though – long and authoritative.

91 points, GARY WALSH, WINE FRONT DECEMBER 2013