Kilikanoon Duke Reserve Grenache 2021, Clare Valley

Kilikanoon Duke Reserve Grenache 2021, Clare Valley

Deep crimson with a rich purple core. Ripe plum, blackberry and cassis first, then it opens into leather, dark chocolate, date pudding and dark wood spice.

Old-vine material from the first sip. Powerful, deeply concentrated, wonderfully savoury. Potpourri, earth, game, cured meat and beef jerky woven through the dark Grenache fruit.

The tannins are the story. Dry and savoury at first, then those old-school liquorice-bullet tannins rise and keep building. Tea leaf and a Peking duck note add another layer. Tremendous depth, and the fruit still sits on balanced acid and oak that knows its place. Rustic, meaty, savoury. The finish just rolls on. Dark fruit, liquorice, chocolate and spice, long after the glass is down. From the iconic Watervale sub-region.

Vino Masters Score: 97/100 ★★★★★ Outstanding Old-vine Grenache with date pudding, jerky and liquorice-bullet tannins.