- McLaren Vale, SA - $28-$42
- Screwcap
- 14.5%alc
The Derelict Vineyard is the reserve-level single varietal grenache from Australia's leading practitioner of the variety; d'Arenberg. The 2006 Derelict Vineyard (93pts) was a bright, meaty, complex and perfectly regional grenache ideally set for the cellar.
Softly scented with a bright, floral fragrance of cranberries, violets, cherries and sweet cedar, this fruit focused grenache also reveals underlying hints of muddy, earthy tones with a sweet expression of cinnamon spice. Essentially light-medium in weight, its truly supple palate presents a genuinely subtle, calming mouthfeel beset with savoury suggestions of soft red fruits and light spice, which are marked by beautifully lithe, regional sour-edged acids holding together a very soft tannin structure. Stylistically, it's one of those grenaches that bares more than a passing resemblance to pinot noir.
ü Charmingly soft, supple and very approachable (with adequate aeration), The Derelict Vineyard provides an intriguing contrast to its cheaper stablemate from 2007; The Custodian Grenache (91pts), which I found firmly structured, rustic and in need of a stint in the cellar. Take your pick... Drink to 2014
91 points
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