2001 Old Vines Grenache Romas Vineyard

Medium garnet-brick in color, the 2001 Romas Vineyard Grenache flaunts attractive aromas of ripe cherries, kirsch, licorice, black pepper and charcoal. A bit of a beast, this full-bodied, rich and dense wine is contoured by a medium level of very fine tannins and a lively, balanced acid line before it finishes long and layered. Drink it now to 2020. I am grateful to Roman Bratasiuk for presenting me with small verticals from his cellar of some of his greatest vineyard sources for this report, including the Merlot (as an indication that Merlot can do well in Australia!), the Old Vines/Romas Vineyard Grenache and a vertical of the Astralis vineyard Shiraz going back to 1991. Readers should note that the 2011 vintage Clarendon Hills wines are being released a little later than usual and therefore were not available for tasting in time for this report. However, I have been informed that they will be available for tasting very soon and will hopefully make the South Australia report. Importer: Wine Brokers Unlimited, Hayward, CA