Cirillo 1850 Old Vine Grenache

This wine is made from low yielding old bush vines on the valley floor in the Barossa. The 2003 Cirillo 1850 Old Vine Grenache is a very ripe and full bodied wine. Yet it is not overly fruity or burnt.

It tastes of ripe cherries and has developed savoury characteristics as well. There are enough tannins to give this wine structure, but less than in your typical Shiraz or Cabernet, which makes this wine food friendly. Well, sort of, as it also is quite high in alcohol.

Drinking this wine feels like walking on a tightrope. Everything comes together in the end, but the wine pushes ripeness and alcohol. It is not an easy drinking Grenache, but rather one with a lot of expression. At six years, it may be close to its peak, but it will drink well for another couple of years.

Score: 92/++