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Description
"Here we go! This is everything I love about modern McLaren Vale - pure red fruits, perfume and freshness, lovely fine tannin. A seriously smashable blend from two of our great winemaker mates in Brash and MJC. Proud to offer this little gem exclusively to our customers. Get some!"
- Tom Hollings (Different Drop Co-Founder / Wine Buyer)
We are thrilled to be the only retailer in the country to offer you access to this exciting collaboration between two of McLaren Vale's finest producers.
The Van Higgins "Free Ball" Grenache Cinsault is a 50/50 blend from the creative minds of good mates Michael J. Corbett (Vanguardist) and Brad Hickey (Brash Higgins). It was conceived over many late nights sharing bottles of 'baller' (hence Free Ball) reds from some of the Rhone Valley's finest, the likes of Gramenon, Rayas, and L’Anglore, a medium-weight red blend that captures the best of McLaren Vale is where they settled.
It's a deliciously harmonious blend of Grenache and Cinsault, each variety bringing its unique flair to the table. The Grenache comes from the gnarled 'goblet' bush vines on Vanguardist's 'Silver Sands' Rende Vineyard in Blewitt Springs. The Cinsault comes from the Lennon Vineyard in McLaren Vale, just outside the front door to Brash Higgins HQ. Half the fruit was destemmed and the other half kept as whole bunches, then ageing in a combo of 600L ceramic eggs and demi-muid barrels. This kept the wine fresh and bright, focused on the excellent fruit quality on display, without the hindrance of heavy-handed oak.
We love the freshness and flow of this wine. It's all red and blue fruit, some frisky spice, floral accents and beautifully shaped tannin that lingers long on the palate.
There were only 123 dozen made and it is only available from the two producers' websites and here at Different Drop.
93 points
"A bold pop of ripe cherry, dried roses, a bit sappy, dried herbs, raspberry too. It’s medium-bodied, a lively and vibrant wine, cherry soda and some turned earth, rosehip tea, fennel crunch, bright cranberry acidity, there’s some clay-like things, and dusty tannin grip, with a juicy/savoury finish of excellent length. It’s fun, and it drinks a treat. Spicy and interesting."
- Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)
Customer Reviews
| Price Bracket | $31 to $40 |
| Type | Red |
| Body | Medium Bodied |
| Variety | Grenache |
| Variety Style | ["Grenache Blends"] |
| Country | Australia |
| Region | McLaren Vale |
| Australian State | SA |
| Feature |
Organic |
| Reviewed By |
The Wine Front |
| Critic Score |
93 |
| Alcohol | 13% |
| Size | 750ml |
| Vintage | 2023 |
| Closure | DIAM Cork |
Vanguardist
Winemaker Michael Corbett Vanguardist
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Common Questions
Delivery is free on orders of $150 or more.
For orders under this amount, delivery is calculated at checkout based on your postcode. You can order in any quantity or combination of wines you like. Straight dozens are not required.
We will dispatch your order the same or next business day.
Estimated delivery transit time varies depending on your location. Please review this page for specific estimates.
No sorry we do not have a store front and pickup is not available.
Yes, no problem. When placing your order select ‘Store at Different Drop and Delivery Later’ as your shipping method or reply to the order confirmation email after placing your order with additional instructions.
We stock three different sized gift boxes (single, three bottle and six), all are available for purchase for a flat rate of $8. They look great and make an awesome impression.
To add a gift box to your order, simply add at checkout. The special requests box is your friend, please give us as many details of what you are looking for and we will try our best, or get in contact to discuss it with you.
If you want to bulk order gifts or if you have any trouble please email hello@differentdrop.com or call and we can try and help.
Our warehouse is automated so unless you tell us otherwise, we will ship your order. If you would like us to hold your order please reply to the order confirmation email after placing your order and we are happy to store your order for up to 6 months at no charge. You can review our heat policy here.
Yes, of course. We want Different Drop customers to always be getting the best price. You can see our price match policy here.
No, feel free to mix it up! There is no minimum requirement. You can order wines in any quantity or combination, 1 or 50+ bottles.
No, all prices are set at the full discounted dozen rate already.
If you can't add more wine to your cart it means we are low on stock of that wine. For example, if you are only able to 3 bottles and no more that means we only have 3 bottles left of that wine. If it's a must have, please contact us and we may be able to order more in for you.
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