Samuels Gorge Grenache 2022

Concentrated, savoury, age-worthy. One of McLaren's most respected Grenaches.

Justin McNamee made wine at Tatachilla from 1996 before founding Samuel's Gorge in 2003. The winery works out of an 1853 farm shed on a ridge above the Onkaparinga River National Park. Fruit comes from small growers spread across McLaren Vale, a region with some of the oldest Grenache vines on earth.

The winemaking leans old-school. McNamee basket-presses and ferments in open slate fermenters lined with beeswax. He aims for wines that taste Australian while borrowing old-world texture and harmony.

Give it an hour in a decanter and cook a proper roast. It sits in a useful middle ground, lighter on its feet than local Shiraz but with genuine grip.