The Barossa Valley, in South Australia, is a broad, relatively flat valley formed by the Para River—effectively an “alluvial” basin with varying percentages of clay, loam, sand, and other sediments. Whereas some of the world’s most powerful red wines (from Shiraz/Syrah most famously) hail from here, there are pockets of very sandy, silica-rich soil that produce very finessed, fragrant, silky styles of Grenache.

The Yalumba estate dates to 1849 and remains under family ownership. The “Samuel’s Collection” line of wines is an homage to Yalumba’s founder, Samuel Smith, and a showcase for some of the estate’s oldest “heritage” vineyards. This nuanced and highly expressive red is a noteworthy achievement at this price, coming from bush-trained vines with an average age of 70 years.

This wine is 100% Grenache pressed into a combination of closed and open-topped vessels. The wild yeasts that arrive in the winery on the grapes initiate fermentation. Most of the grapes are de-stemmed, but some bunches are left intact to lend spice and dimension. After draining and pressing off skins, all batches are racked into older American, French and Hungarian “hogshead” barrels for six months of maturation.  

The fruit character is more red (cherry kirsch, wild strawberry) and the perfume and texture of the wine is almost Pinot Noir-like—albeit with more concentration/viscosity. The tannins are incredibly fine and smooth. A world away from inky, black-fruited Barossa Shiraz!