2023 Dune The Empty Quarter GSM

95 pts
Dune's twist on the classic McLaren Vale GSM. Serious wine, serious value.

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Sale price$25.00
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Description

The 2023 Empty Quarter from the Lloyd brothers’ Dune Wines is a fresh spin on the classic GSM blend, with a splash of Touriga Nacional for extra character. From their Blewitt Springs vineyard, this is McLaren Vale done their way—organic farming, low-fuss winemaking, and a willingness to mix things up.

Medium-bodied, fragrant, and packed with flavour, it’s got those juicy blue and purple fruits, a savoury edge of sage and spice, and fine, dusty tannins that pull it all together. There’s plenty of personality here, but it’s still the kind of wine you’ll happily crack open any night of the week.

Duncan and Peter Lloyd—of Coriole lineage—are proving they’ve got a knack for walking the line between tradition and modern energy. The Empty Quarter is a seriously tasty red with just enough polish and plenty of charm. If you’re after a GSM that’s a bit different, this one’s got you sorted.

95 points
"Year on year, this offers such exceptional value. The varieties, though all dedicated contributors, somewhat fall away here, which is testimony to the cohesion of the wine. It’s medium weight, cut through with ferrous mineral notes, blue/purple florals, cracked pepper, and warmed whole spices. Blue and red fruit notes fill the palate, along with fermented salami and dried woody herbs. Such a beautiful balance of the savoury and the vibrant; made for the table."
- Marcus Ellis (Halliday Wine Companion)

94 points
"Such a pleasing wine to drink. Blue and purple fruit, coal dust and ozone, sage and thyme, some dried flowers, pastrami and aniseed. It’s medium-bodied, has a distinctly ‘mineral’ feel to it, with fine dusty and peppery tannin, a quiet juicy blueberry succulence, and it’s also quite savoury, bresaola and Spanish black olive, I reckon, with a gently sticky and tactile finish of excellent length. Fresh. Spicy. Yum."
- Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

95 points – "A blend of Shiraz, Mataro, Grenache, Touriga Nacional, and Cinsault, picked at the same time and co-fermented; about 12 months in seasoned oak. Year on year, this offers such exceptional value. The varieties, though all dedicated contributors, somewhat fall away here, which is testimony to the cohesion of the wine. It’s medium weight, cut through with ferrous mineral notes, blue/purple florals, cracked pepper, and warmed whole spices. Blue and red fruit notes fill the palate, along with fermented salami and dried woody herbs. Such a beautiful balance of the savoury and the vibrant; made for the table."

– Marcus Ellis (Halliday Wine Companion)

94 points - "Such a pleasing wine to drink. Blue and purple fruit, coal dust and ozone, sage and thyme, some dried flowers, pastrami and aniseed. It’s medium-bodied, has a distinctly ‘mineral’ feel to it, with fine dusty and peppery tannin, a quiet juicy blueberry succulence, and it’s also quite savoury, bresaola and Spanish black olive, I reckon, with a gently sticky and tactile finish of excellent length. Fresh. Spicy. Yum." - Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

Customer Reviews

Customer Reviews

Based on 13 reviews
62%
(8)
38%
(5)
0%
(0)
0%
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N
Ned W.
2023 Dune GSM

Great easy drinking BBQ wine.
Chilled 30m in the fridge before serving on a hot night, was perfect.
Fruit pulled back a bit, spicy and savoury.
Yum.

V
Victoria B.
Dune gsm

Beautiful balanced red for drinking now

D
David M.
a good buy

I`m a fan of DUNE wines
This GSM has good length and structure. Good fruit balance
consistent year on year

A
Andrew W.
A quality wine from Dune.

Stands out from the crowd of GSM’s and straight Grenache around the $30 mark. I suspect it’s due to the Touriga component but this medium bodied wine is interesting, great with food and tasted even better 48 hours after opening the bottle. Recommended.

N
Nicholas B.
Another winner from Dune!

The Dune GSM iteration is up there with one of the best, especially at this price point. The ratios are perfect, and the fruit present is just delicious. Can't go past it.

2023 DUNE The Empty Quarter is a blend of shiraz / grenache / mataro along with a small amount of touriga nacional.

A medium bodied wine of fragrance and substance.

Glossy purple fruits, mulberry and dark cherry, sweet sage flower lift balanced with savoury notes of aniseed, cured meats, with some white pepper lift. The palate is juicy to start with blue and dark fruits, plum and blueberry, a little dark cocoa, fine and long tannins, supple and succulent.

Price Bracket $30 or Less
Type Red
Body Full Bodied
Variety Grenache
Variety Style ["Grenache Blends"]
Country Australia
Region McLaren Vale
Australian State SA
Reviewed By The Wine Front
Halliday Wine Companion
Critic Score 94
95
Alcohol 14%
Size 750ml
Vintage 2023
Closure Screw Cap

Dune

Duncan and Peter Lloyd are the latest generation of Lloyds (of Coriole fame) to make wine in McLaren Vale.

Growing up immersed in the hotbed of food and wine culture that is McLaren Vale, the boys have now partnered up to start their own wine project with a stunning vineyard in Blewitt Springs as the centrepiece.

The grapes are farmed organically, the wines are made with a gentle touch, but rather than let the 'minimal intervention' philosophy hem them in with dogma, the boys are free to tinker and blend as they see fit.

These are fantastic, energetic wines that have set a cracking pace with only a few vintages under the brand's belt. Keep your eyes peeled for what's next for the brothers Lloyd.

Duncan and Peter Lloyd in the Dune vineyard - McLaren Vale, SA Dune

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