A choice of Grenache that hits like an epiphany

Much of the enjoyment of wine can come from understanding the factors that give each bottle its character – the nuances of soil and climate, and how these create different aromas and flavors coming from the same variety grown in different parts of Australia and peace. .

But it can also be interesting to understand what influences shape a winemaker—what motivates the person whose vision and skill creates a wine that makes your taste buds sing.

Talk to Clare Valley winemaker Peter Warr and he’ll tell you how the army canteens his father ate in and how his family’s childhood dinner table were part of a lifelong journey that led to the creation of the elegant wines he now makes in as chief winemaker. from Kilikanun.

Sitting proudly among them is the 2019 Kilikanoon Baudinet Blend Clare Valley Grenache Shiraz Mataro, a majestic and multi-award-winning Rhône-inspired blend that is part of this week’s collection. Special offer from the Australian Wine Club.

Paired with three excellent grenaches, one of which typically retails for $70 a bottle, Warr’s 2019 GSM is the perfect counterpoint to how grenache can sing solo or in an ensemble with equal panache.

The quartet’s pricing is as appetizing as the wines themselves, with an average price per bottle of $25.99, a nearly 45 percent discount.

You can hear Warr’s love for GSM when he talks about this wine and his career in wine, as well as his love for Clare, a place whose sense of community clearly influences his outlook on life.

“The Clare Valley is ideal for me because it still gives a sense of country and place,” says Warr.

“What I like is that I leave my winery and the next field is a sheep farm and then a cattle farm. It’s a community that’s built because you go to the pub for a drink on a Friday afternoon and sit next to the cattleman or the guy who runs the pigsty down the street. You can talk to these people and it’s a really nice sense of place that I think inspires you.”

This pleasure in a shared goal becomes even clearer when Warr recalls his youth in Queensland, where his parents enjoyed a glass of wine with dinner.

“From a young age you were given a small glass of port and whatever Mum and Dad ate, you got a little bit of it for dinner,” he says.

“My dad always loved to look for something interesting. He was probably not the world’s most discerning gourmet, but as a career military man he traveled a lot, and despite the turmoil of the war, they had interesting wines that excited him. I guess that was what planted the seed before I even knew it.”

That seed grew into a lifetime of creating and researching wines that, like GSM 2019, become a source of inspiration in their own right.

“I call them epiphany wines, and I’m sure you may have experienced that too, when you sit down and it’s just a diamond in the rough type of bottle,” he says.

“You just go, ‘Oh my God!’ when it blows your socks off and you think, ‘I want to know more about this and how can I do it?’

“No job is perfect and we all have good days and bad days, but every once in a while you open one of those bottles of insight and it, as a winemaker, just gives you the strength to think, ‘I want to make better and better wine. every year.” ‘.

From the outset, the complexity of the aroma indicates serious pedigree: a luxurious blend of plum, spice and vanilla that evolves to offer hints of leather, molasses and pepper. The palate wraps the tongue in an embrace of plum, chocolate and vanilla, along with rich tannins that keep the finish in perfect control. 95 points, Halliday Wine Companion. 14.5% ABV, RRP $55 per bottle.

SPECIAL PRODUCTS $49.99 per bottle in any dozen, $25.99 per bottle in any dozen Grenache.

Decant it before dinner and pair it with richer dishes such as roast duck or lamb to let the intensity of its aromas and flavors find the perfect base. Its zesty aroma is rich in herbs and peppered with notes of dark plum, fruity nutty chocolate and orange zest, flowing onto the palate with zesty heaviness and crisp acidity. There’s more orange zest in the mouth, cherries too, and a hint of marzipan. 96 points, Wine Orbit; 14% ABV, RRP $70 per bottle.

SPECIAL PRODUCTS $53.99 per bottle of any dozen, $25.99 per bottle of our Grenache Dozen.

There’s a theme to this more spice and fruit, from licorice and gingerbread, plum and cranberry on the nose to juicy, bright cherry and plum flavors with plenty of spice. The bittersweet notes of kumquat add freshness and allow a surprisingly good length to develop. 94 points, Halliday Wine Companion. 14% ABV, RRP $35 per bottle.

SPECIAL PRODUCTS $27.99 for any dozen, $25.99 per bottle from our Grenache Dozen.

Another way to benefit from time away from the bottle, whether it’s decanting or simply giving the glass a chance to breathe. The nose is subtle at first but opens up to offer dark plum and black cherry with herbs, spices and black pepper. Likewise, the palate rewards patience with luscious strawberry, raspberry and blackberry sweetness, well expressed by fine tannins. 14% ABV, RRP $29 per bottle.

SPECIAL PRODUCTS $25.99 for any dozen, $25.99 for a bottle of our dozen Grenache.

Grenache Dozen: Three bottles of each wine listed above for $25.99 per bottle. SAVE $255.

Order by simply following the link to our online store or call 1300 765 359 Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm AEST. Offers are only available while supplies last. The Australian Wine Club is a commercial partnership with Laithwaites Wine, LIQP770016550. Stockhead partners with Australian Wine Club on this proposal.