Clarendon Hills Grenache Old Vines Kangarilla Vineyard 1996

document.getElementById("NoProductImage").innerHTML = ""; Robert Parker 95 points!Two of the most decadent wines made on planet Earth are the limited production (about 900 cases of each) of Old Vine Grenache. In 1996- there are three offerings- but I only tasted two- the Blewitt Springs and Kangarilla Vineyard. The Blewitt Springs is the first wine I have ever tasted that may be almost too rich to drink. Consequently- I have a slight preference for the 1996 Kangarilla Vineyard (15% alcohol). The latter wine offers an opaque purple color- and a smashingly intense- read more...decadent nose of black raspberries- blueberries- and pepper- followed by equally impressive thick- viscous- super-concentrated- remarkably pure and well-balanced flavors. There are no hard edges to this huge old vine Grenache. The wine's glycerin level (because of the high alcohol) gives it a sweet impression on the palate- and thus it can be drunk now. However- I predict this wine will last for 15 or more years. The wine was aged in 3-4 year old barrels. No new oak is used- and the wine is the better for it... 95 points Drink 1998-2013 Wine Advocate #115 (Feb 1998) Robert Parker Clarendon HillsClarendon Hills- 25 miles south of Adelaide- was established in 1989 by Roman Bratasiuk- the owner/winemaker. Since its establishment just over a decade ago Clarendon Hills has had amazing success. Clarendon Hills has received excellent reviews from both critics and publications alike. From The Wine Advocate to the Wine Companion and Wine Spectator- to being named as one of Robert Parker's 'Wine Producers of the Year' in his newsletter Issue 108 - Clarendon Hills continues to impress. In August 2003- Robert Parker (Wine Advocate) names Clarendon Hills as one of Australia and the world's greatest wineries. The quality of Clarendons success can be attributed to a number of things. Firstly the age of the vines- the town Clarendon was established in 1845. Today many of the vineyards surrounding the winery are over seventy years old the gnarly and twisted bush vines are dry farmed and the grapes are hand picked. Secondly the soil variation and quality- the soil profiles of each winery are very different. This difference- from the rock and shale of Piggott Range to the heavy clay of the Clarendon Grenache Vineyard. Lastly Roman's dedication and philosophy to winemaking. His aim is quite simply to make wines equal to anything in the world. Special parcels of grapes are selected from old dry grown vineyards in the Clarendon- Blewitt Springs and Kangarilla sub regions of South Australia. All the vineyards are within six kilometres of the winery- about forty kilometres south of Adelaide. All grapes are hand pruned and hand picked. The juice is fermented using natural yeasts. The reds undergo a warm fermentation (up to 32°C) and an extended maceration. All the pressings are returned to the barrel (100% new if required). All the wines are matured in imported Burgundian barriques. The wines are then bottled without fining or filtration to capture the individual vineyard character. There are now fifteen single vineyard wines and they are 100% varietal. The above techniques are used to produce rich complex wines that will age very well in the cellar and also will complement food extremely well. The aim is to make these wines equal to anything in the world. www.clarendonhills.com.auKangarillaPlanted on quite sandy soil with a flatter gradient- the wine is early to ripen and always shows its characteristic raspberry/plum- blackberry fruits intertwined with mint and other herbs. A very voluptuous wine which is always a real crowd pleaser.    (hide)

October 2008

Rating: 95/100 - As reviewed in eRobertParker.com # E2002 on Feb-02

Rating: 95/100 - As reviewed in Wine Advocate # 115 on Feb-98

Rating: 93/100 - As reviewed by Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar on Jul-98

Rating: 88/100 - As reviewed by Wine Spectator on 04/30/98