Question: New World Grenache, does it age?

[bob parsons]

Discussion about Rhone/Gigondas Grenache brought up an interesting question. Do the New World Grenache /blends age the same?

[Rawshack]

Discussion about Rhone/Gigondas Grenache brought up an interesting question. Do the New World Grenache /blends age the same?

Question that I was asking this morning funnily enough. I recently had a 00/01 (can't recall the vintage) Ironstone Pressings and it stood up particularly well.

Be interesting to see how some of the new wave Grenache/blends hold up over the coming years.

[Davo]

The problem in the past, in Oz anyway, was finding grenache good enough to drink let alone to bother and try aging.

A couple of exceptions to that generalisation of course, but mostly odd vintages from different wineries rather than one winery consistently making good grenache.

Things are beginning to turn around however I fancy it will still be several years before that question can be answered with any real meaning.

[Anonymous]

Let me be a bit more specific. An importer here in Belgium is offering several from the late 90s including the following.

Clarendon Hills "Kangarilla V" OV Grenache 1998 €36
Clarendon Hills "Hickinbotham V" OV Grenache 1999 €45
Romas Clarendon Hills OV Grenache 1999 €66

Any idea how these might be showing and whether they would be worth their price?

[Michael McNally]

Let me be a bit more specific. An importer here in Belgium is offering several from the late 90s including the following.

Clarendon Hills "Kangarilla V" OV Grenache 1998 €36
Clarendon Hills "Hickinbotham V" OV Grenache 1999 €45
Romas Clarendon Hills OV Grenache 1999 €66

Any idea how these might be showing and whether they would be worth their price?

1998 and 1999 were two great vintages in south Oz. I am no expert on prices but they look good to me. I am not sure if Clarendon Hills have lower tier though.

Michael

[Mahmoud Ali]

Opened a 1998 Charles Cimicky 'Daylight Chamber' Grenache, now just a shade over 10 years old. I'm sorry I don't have notes.

Everyone liked the wine, some guessed old world, then California, then Chile, then Australia. Interesting, isn't it. Somewhat warm (but not hot) the wine drank well. I'm going to open another bottle and drink it with dinner--as opposed to it being the 6th wine in an 8 bottle evening (hence the lack of note, and bits of memory!)

Cheers.......Mahmoud.

[Dan]

Let me be a bit more specific. An importer here in Belgium is offering several from the late 90s including the following.

Clarendon Hills "Kangarilla V" OV Grenache 1998 €36
Clarendon Hills "Hickinbotham V" OV Grenache 1999 €45
Romas Clarendon Hills OV Grenache 1999 €66

Any idea how these might be showing and whether they would be worth their price?

1998 and 1999 were two great vintages in south Oz. I am no expert on prices but they look good to me. I am not sure if Clarendon Hills have lower tier though.



Michael

Clarendon Hills make excellent Grenache and it ages very well.
It really depends how you like it, it tends to get more "Gamey/Ferral" with time, which I like.
I tend to find McLaren Vale Grenache ages, but for the most part Barossa does not (in my opinion).
Also if it is really hot and spirit like, as some tend to be. That won't go away with time.

[DJ]

If you are prepared to accept Greanche blends in your question the answer is absolutely. The Classic example is d'Arenburg D'Arry's Orginal (formally burgundy) as Grenache Shiraz blend. Charles Melton Nine Popes does well with some age. I'm sure if I had access to my wine books (packed pending move to Sydney next week ) I could come up with a longer list.

[Leigh]

Recently purchased a bottle of Cirillo Estate '1850 Old Vine' Grenache 2005 as part of a 6 pack for Christmas day drinking. Has anyone tasted this wine?. They say the vines are some of the oldest in Australia.

Cheers
Leigh

[Lincoln]

Let me be a bit more specific. An importer here in Belgium is offering several from the late 90s including the following.

Clarendon Hills "Kangarilla V" OV Grenache 1998 €36
Clarendon Hills "Hickinbotham V" OV Grenache 1999 €45
Romas Clarendon Hills OV Grenache 1999 €66

Any idea how these might be showing and whether they would be worth their price?

At those prices I would buy from the Southern Rhone

[Anonymous]

Let me be a bit more specific. An importer here in Belgium is offering several from the late 90s including the following.

Clarendon Hills "Kangarilla V" OV Grenache 1998 €36
Clarendon Hills "Hickinbotham V" OV Grenache 1999 €45
Romas Clarendon Hills OV Grenache 1999 €66

Any idea how these might be showing and whether they would be worth their price?

At those prices I would buy from the Southern Rhone

Yes, this is the price range for serious Châteauneuf du Pape with Beaucastel towards the top end. But I'm not so sure of finding a mature vintage other than in my own cellar. Very nice Gigondas, Vacqueyras and CDRV Cairanne and Rasteau fpr MUCH less.

[Wayno]

Recently purchased a bottle of Cirillo Estate '1850 Old Vine' Grenache 2005 as part of a 6 pack for Christmas day drinking. Has anyone tasted this wine?. They say the vines are some of the oldest in Australia.

Cheers
Leigh

I've had this. It's excellent.

[Bick]

Very nice ... CDRV Cairanne and Rasteau for MUCH less.

Too true. I've not had heaps of it, but what Cairanne I've had has been pretty good at around the $25 mark.

[n4sir]

Discussion about Rhone/Gigondas Grenache brought up an interesting question. Do the New World Grenache /blends age the same?

Generally speaking, Grenache blends are a safer bet to cellar for wines from South Australia. As mentioned by a few others here, Grenache on its own can be a bit thin, sweet and simple and a lot of wines are drink now/soon propositions.

In the past I've found McLaren Vale had better cellaring examples (d'Arenberg, Tintara, Foggo, Serafino), although some of the newer Barossa wines (like from Kalleske) look very promising.

Cheers,
Ian