SC Pannell Little Branch Grenache 2022

Ranked #2 of 85 2022 Grenache from McLaren Vale
Good depth and hue of colour, with strong purple tints, the bouquet detailed and brooding with dried herbs, brown spices and well-worn leather and terracotta nuances, hints of tar and machine oil, the palate very full-bodied, power-packed and long, with masses of tannin which give it a firm and authoritative backbone. This is an outstanding grenache, very full-bodied and with long-term aging potential. 97PTS Huon Hooke, The Real Review

The 2022 Little Branch Grenache is from the newest estate vineyard for Pannell, in Blewitt Springs. The vines are old and are dry grown on sand-flecked ironstone. We know that Blewitt Springs is responsible for Grenache of great perfume and levity, while also being able to deliver tannins that are gossamer fine yet profuse. It's a special place. So here, we have a wine that is ultra perfumed from the get-go, with ripe strawberries, spices firmly on the "red" register of sumac, paprika and a hint of mustard seed, closing with rust and fresh blood. In the mouth, the wine is all silken earth; ferruginous tannins pave the way for a cavalcade of red fruit and a firm, almost tart finish. There is plenty to go on with here, the full package. This is a masterful first release. It's a little lighter and "redder" than the Old McDonald. It is layered and balanced. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. 97PTS Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate