Very pinot-like... This is very fine. The plumpest of these single-site expressions, yet the most complete.
Ned Goodwin MW (Halliday Wine Companion)
About The Wine
Aphelion has made a name for itself as one of Australia's best producers of world-class Grenache, and this velvety, expressive single vineyard offering just goes to show why.
The fruit for this wine comes entirely from the Blewitt Springs sub-zone of McLaren Vale, grown by the Brini family with whom winemaker Rob Mack has cultivated a relationship ever since Aphelion's first vintage. The site's sandy soils gives the wine a beautiful aromatic lift full of florals and spice, backed up with some good tannin structure.
Fermented with 100% whole bunches and briefly aged in neutral French oak.
About Aphelion
Aphelion was established by Rob Mack and Louise Rhodes with a clear vision. They had one thing on their mind, to craft: "Genuine, Authentic, Quality McLaren Vale Grenache."
A couple of vintages in and they are right on the money. They have close relationships with local growers in the Vale who provide them with excellent Grenache fruit and Rob's deft touch in the winery takes care of the rest.
The range is slowly growing, as is their family. Their investigation into their pet variety is deepening, as is their fan base. The small batches of wine that come out of the Aphelion stable should have a close eye kept on them, more often than not there's something exciting and great value in the bottle.
Aphelion HQ, McLaren Vale, SA
From The Producer
The fruit used to make this wine is sourced from a single vineyard in the northeast corner of the Blewitt Springs area of McLaren Vale owned by the Brini family. The roundest and most intense wine in our Single Vintage Grenache range, dark plum fruits dominate with earth and forest floor characters to create a wine of depth and richness.
Blend : Grenache (100%)
ABV : 14.5%
Closure : Cork
Drink Until : 2031
Bottle Size : 750ml
McLaren Vale, SA
Critic Reviews
"From a parcel planted in the 1940’s, fermented as whole clusters and aged in a single, larger-format cask. This is a shade darker in the glass than the Trenerry and has rounder and richer qualities. The nose is exuberant with pomegranate, blood orange, red berry and spice, as well as some sappy elements. There’s a subtly exotic edge to the fruit here and a deeper, richer style of perfume. The palate has such a suave, smooth and velvety mouth-feel with darker berries delivered in a smoothly rendered brand of tannin. Quite seductively plush." - JamesSuckling.com
"An exploration of Blewitt Springs, likely the finest subregion for the finest grape in the country – grenache. A single site in the northeast corner on sandy loams. 100% whole-bunch wild fermentation. Pressed to large-format (600L) oak where it remained for 10 months. Very pinot-like. Sandalwood, bergamot, camphor, sapid sour cherry, lapsang and Asian spiced-plum notes drive across a patina of herb-flecked tannins, all skeletal and fibrous. This is very fine. The plumpest of these single-site expressions, yet the most complete." - Ned Goodwin MW (Halliday Wine Companion)
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