Monolith Vintners Old Vine Barossa Valley Grenache 2012

TASTING NOTES

Vivid red with purple highlights at the core. The aroma combines musk and cherry flavours with spice. Underlying licorice, smok ed meat and earth are also evident. The palate appears to have great sweetness and richness of fruit flavour almost to the point of being syrup-like in its concentration. The powerful fruit and alcohol flavours, however, come with a great savouriness, spice and soft yet abundant tannin. The ripe, juicy combination with French oak highlights has created a big Barossa Grenache.

TECHNICAL

Vintage conditions were ideal in the Barossa Valley during the 2012 vintage. High sub-soil moisture levels combined with a long mild summer allowed the Grenache to ripen evenly. The resultant wine is one of balance, clarity and is exceptionally varietal. We hand picked the fruit from a small 150-year-old vineyard from the cooler Eden Valley region of the Barossa, these are considered Ancestor Vines. The fruit was transported to the winery where it was gently de-stemmed into concrete open top fermenters. It was then carefully nurtured for 7 days on skins with pump overs occurring twice daily, varying in duration and intensity. When primary fermentation was almost complete, the wine was drained from the skins and the must is gently basket pressed for 8 hours. The wine remains in a stainless steel tank until primary fermentation is completed. It is then run directly into new American and French barriques where it spent the next 32 months. Once the oak and the wine had perfectly become one the wine is blended and bottled without the use of filtration or fining.