Wine with Meg + Mel
The fun + frank podcast which helps you navigate the world of wine. Hosted by Australia's first female Master of Wine Meg Brodtmann, and self-titled Master of Sabrage Mel Gilcrist.
Wine with Meg + Mel
The $25 Australian Shiraz That Beat The World
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A $25 McLaren Vale Shiraz wins Best Shiraz in the world, so we put Beresford to the test with side-by-side pours and zero patience for hype. We chase what makes the wines feel so seamless, from sub-region minerality in Blewitt Springs to oak choices, label alcohol quirks, and of course the incredible Wine making by Beresfords own Natalie Cleghorn.
- Beresford Estate Shiraz, 2024, $25:00: https://www.beresfordestate.com.au/products/classic-shiraz-750ml
- Beresford Estate Blewitt Springs Shiraz, 2023, $45.00: https://www.beresfordestate.com.au/products/estate-shiraz-750ml
- Beresford Estate Grand Reserve Shiraz, 2017, $120.00: https://www.beresfordestate.com.au/products/beresford-grand-reserve-shiraz-750ml
- Emblem 'Blewitt Springs' Pecorino, 2024, $25.00: https://www.beresfordestate.com.au/products/emblem-pecorino-750ml
- Emblem 'Old Vine' Grenache, 2025, $35:00: https://www.beresfordestate.com.au/products/emblem-grenache-750ml
Taste the wines for yourself and let us know your thoughts! DM us on Instagram, we're always keen to chat!
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Welcome And Why Beresford Matters
SPEAKER_01Hi, and welcome to Wine with Megan Malware here to help you navigate the world of wine. I'm Mel Gil Cruiser and by Master of Wine, Meg Brotman. We have producer Austin here as always. Today we have an episode on Beresford Estate. So they are classic McLaren Vale, but we're gonna have a look and see can you be classic McLaren Vale and also do like cool other new stuff?
SPEAKER_00Well, people may have seen them around the news recently because the International Wine Challenge results came out for 2026, which is one of, I would argue the biggest international wine show. They were judged, they put this Shiraz in and they were judged best Shiraz in the world. This is how they're it's it's sold. But there were 1,100 Shiraz slash Syrahs that were tasted, and a $25 bottle of wine from Beresford from McLarenville came up. So any price point, any price point, that's cool. And what is cool, yeah. What we're gonna taste, which is a little bit of fun. It's they've sent us the award-winning one. Yeah, so Gourmet Traveler have covered it, Delicious have covered it, Dan Murphy's even covered it. I don't know if you saw that. Sort of Dan Murphy's saying, and hey, we've got it for $25. But they've also sent us their sub regional one. So Beresford is a well, I would call it all myself. Do you think they ended both of them? I that's what I reckoned, you know. So they ended the expensive one and the because I haven't said I couldn't scroll through all the results because there's so many results. So they won Best South Australian Shiraz, Best Shiraz, and then Best In International Shiraz, Best Wine of Shiraz have shown. Wow. So I just thought it'd be fun to taste them in terms of production. So the the $25 one is the one that is from I'm gathering vineyards across McLarenvale. Yeah. Whereas the $45 one, which we don't know that wasn't entered, but may have been entered, is from their Blue Witts Springs Estate vineyard. Now Blue Witts Springs is sort of renowned for these sort of sandy soils, a little bit cooler part part of McLarenville, and is super famous for Grenache and Shiraz. A lot of bushvine out here, dry grown bushvine. So I just thought it'd be fun to try the two together.
SPEAKER_01So they have Bushvine, the Shiraz Bushvine.
SPEAKER_00Yep, and Grenache. From the 1940s and 1950s.
SPEAKER_01Shit, that's really old. In my head, though, bushvine, all the old bushvines are just Grenache.
SPEAKER_00There's old Shiraz, the same as Barossa. Old Shiraz as well.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, no, I in my head it's all Grenache, but it makes sense. It makes sense. I see. Oh my god, this is so fun. Okay, so this it doesn't have like a name, it's just called Beresford McLarenville 2023 Shiraz. Shiraz.
SPEAKER_00And they're both 23s that they sent us. And the wines that they were up against were in different classes, were all around the $120 mark. So in the Chardonnay class, the wine that won was $120. In the Cabernet class, the wine that won was $120. But in the Shiraz, the one that won was a $25.
SPEAKER_01Oh my god, I love that. Isn't that cool? I love it when we taste these wines. Quickly, just to talk a bit more about them, because we do like to point out when wines come from like real wineries. So this is like they've been around since the 80s, right? I think they were established. Still in the family, like family-owned. Yeah, sick. So this was like a cool winery to be tasting and female winemaker Natalie Clegghorn.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. And then what we'll see is not only are they doing this sort of what you expect heritage winemaking or traditional stuff that you expect out of McLarenville, I got some cool pecorino.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, well, I have not tasted enough pecorino in my life. And so this is sick. Okay, okay, what are we doing? Are we starting with the award-winning? Yes, please. Woohoo!
unknownOkay.
SPEAKER_00So this was the highest scoring Australian trophy winner and the
Tasting The $25 Trophy Shiraz
SPEAKER_00most decorated.
SPEAKER_01I reckon we use the burgundy.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, just use the burgundy then. We have more of the burgundies. You could donate two of yours that I broke.
SPEAKER_01Oh god, no. So Meg came to my house last weekend and within five minutes of being there had broken two of my new Spiegel burgundy glasses.
SPEAKER_00So I have great gracefully donated my Spiegel Burgundy glasses because I felt so guilty. I literally just sent them flying across the bench. They were upside down, drying. I don't know why. Like seriously. It's hard to dry. Anyway. Okay. Anyway. So the judges at the International Wine Challenge described the Shiraz as powerful yet beautifully composed. And every day Australians have apparently said that it's is this seriously only $25? Tastes better than the $100 Penfolds wine, to be honest. My new go-to.
SPEAKER_01So yeah. Okay. Holy crap. Okay, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Beautiful colour.
SPEAKER_01That's a good Sraz. Okay. Here's what I love about it. It's it's like it's almost like it's not a Shiraz, it's not a Syrah. Like it plays in both camps. It's got power of Shiraz, but it also has elegance of Syrah. You you sometimes talk about wines being like Albo-y and having bits that that stick out. Nothing sticks out. The tannins are soft and velvety and lovely. And everything is integrated. Like all the flavors just flow so elegantly.
SPEAKER_00The thing that surprises me is when I think of McLarenville, I tend to think of red fruit, but on the jammy profile. This is not that. This is so much on the fresh fruit profile. There's almost this real sour cherry. And what is the name of that red cordial stuff that they know that starts with G. No idea. Oh, it's like old school, like something out of Agatha Christie. Grenadine. It's got this kind of weird grenadine character to it. It's just beautifully fresh. It's quite floral.
SPEAKER_01But the blackberry. Okay, but the thing that stands out to me, and this when when I taste really great wines, it's often the case, not always, and I I don't think this is a rule of thumb, but often the case with a really great wine is I don't smell it and immediately go. You know, like some maybe some like cheaper wines, I might go, oh, red cherry, this, that, and you can really easily do this. I think some of the best wines in the world, everything is so integrated, and there are so many different layers layers that nothing immediately sticks out at you, and and that does it. Like it takes some time because it's so there's so much. 13 and a half percent alcohol.
SPEAKER_00Okay. So ripeness with restraint on the alcohol?
SPEAKER_01You uh yeah, you don't taste it. You don't feel the alcohol at all.
SPEAKER_0014 to 16 months in French and American oak. I mean, we are talking kind of old school winemaking. That it must cost a lot to make it if it's 14 to 16 months in French and American oak.
SPEAKER_01Like how have they managed this level of elegance and restraint if they're using French and American oak and it's Shiraz and it's McLaren Vale? I don't understand.
SPEAKER_00That's where I think the genius in in the picking date. Right. Maybe the sights. Okay. Maybe she's choosing from cooler sites. I don't know exactly where this wine's from because it's not the estate.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. I'd say there's a lot of work in the vineyard to get this and blending, right? And blending, yeah.
SPEAKER_01And that's the thing. Like sometimes a a wine that comes from a special vineyard or special estate or whatever, is they're often fantastic, but also it it's kind of restrictive because you have to use that specific site. Whereas the power of blending, and it's where that's a skill. The the craft comes into play.
SPEAKER_00And that's where the magic comes into play as well. You know, there's science, you can do all the science in the world, but that that final art art of blending, and it really is an art, yeah, comes into it. But I want to see what the next one's like that's from the Blue It Springs vineyard.
SPEAKER_01I just want to say I'm like, I'm like proud that this wine was representing us around the world.
SPEAKER_00And this has beaten cross-emetage, emetage. I mean, there's not a lot of Shiraz grown in the world, let's face it. We're we're the biggest producers with France. But I mean, it and you're right, it is it is a it's a very international James Bondi kind of style, you know.
SPEAKER_01It's it is, but it's still Shiraz, though. It's not trying to be Sri Syrah too hard, and I like that it's fresh, and you can still tell that it's Australian, but it's delicious, like, and I don't typically find myself wanting to drink Australian Shiraz that often, but that especially now with these cool temperatures.
SPEAKER_00Get out your steak, mate. Awesome barbecue.
SPEAKER_01Awesome. Okay, okay, okay. I'm keen to taste.
SPEAKER_00So now we're gonna taste the 2023. This is $45, and they do they did send us
Blewitt Springs And That Mineral Edge
SPEAKER_00the grand reserve, it's called as well. But I thought cost of living crisis, we're gonna sit at the $45 mark. I would love to know. I wonder if they could confirm with this if they actually submitted this as well. Yeah. It probably got a gold, but this $25 one was was the highest pointed of the wines of the show. Sorry. Even if it did. This may be a bit more traditional. Again, this is 14 to 16 months in French and American oak, but this is from the Bluett, it specifically says estate, Bluett Springs. So as I said, Bluett Springs is sort of a little bit cooler because of the air that comes through. It's nestled in the hills east of McLarenvale. Um, it's got an elevated position with ironstone-rich Maslin sands. And if anyone's been to Maslin Beach, it's the nudie beach. And it gets the cooling afternoon sea breezes off the Gulf of St. Vincent.
SPEAKER_01I just love how many times nude beaches find their way into the street.
SPEAKER_00We used to hang out there all the time because no one can look at you at the nude beach. So you can be as fat and as fucking ugly as you want to be. No one can steer you and give you the up and down because it's just creepy. Everyone averts their eyes. So you go out in a bikini, you look like shit, go out naked. Wazie and I used to go there all the time.
SPEAKER_01But like, what's the point?
SPEAKER_00If I'm nude, I won't be able to be looking. You can look if you're lying on the beach with your sonnies and they're coming in. We had I sure told you this story.
SPEAKER_01Well, yeah, no, we've already spoken about this on the podcast. The listeners are very familiar with this.
SPEAKER_00The one guy with one and one leg. And he came jumping in.
SPEAKER_01Anyway, let's try this wine. Okay, what I was gonna say, this is weird. And maybe you can explain this to me. But the first thing when I smelt it was I I was like, you don't this is not normally a descriptor for red wine, but I was like, I get this like minerality. Is that weird?
SPEAKER_00I years ago when I was doing an MW residential, we did the sub-regions of Grenache and Shiraz in McLarenvale, and minerality for Blue It Springs was my tasting note. I actually right, I actually dug out my notes from it's like 2012 or something when we went, and I had the Blue It Springs, Grenache and Shiraz seem to have more mineral, and what I said, irony as well, like a bloody ferrous character to it.
SPEAKER_01Anyone who says that people in wine are just like talking shit with the tasting notes or whatever, pulling it out of our ass. This, what just happened, confirms that, like Yep, because I never knew that McLaren had these subreadings. It was like this is a weird thing to say. I'm gonna get picked on for saying that. But you that's crazy.
SPEAKER_00I found my notes.
SPEAKER_01Okay, but also it's like it's got this really, it's almost like this pure blackberry type thing.
SPEAKER_00And I much more black fruit in this than the first one.
SPEAKER_01There's also something else that I'm gonna have to tell you because you can't get this one for yourself. Black pepper.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I cannot see that at all. Can you see it? What's the alcohol in this one? It's just next to you. Uh 13.5 as well. Okay, so this is more McLarenville for me. This is more of that earthy black fruit. The tannins are a little bit bolder, so it seems to be designed a bit more for age, as they're not as approachable, but very fine-grained tannins and great structure to it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so the first one kind of floated on my tongue. This one kind of melted into my mouth. There's a real body to it that that that is up the antsy. This one, this one you want to eat. This is a food one. I'd happily have the other one without food on just like a cold night.
SPEAKER_00So it's 100% from their Blewitt Springs vineyard, and it they harvest the parcel separately. So they obviously they have like a triage system where they go into the vineyard and they they pick on. Yeah, I don't know how big the vineyard is.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, wow.
SPEAKER_00Yum, yum, yum.
SPEAKER_01Oh my god, we weren't gonna try the ground one. Do we have it though? I really want to know. Do you want to try the what? I want to. Yeah, let's just do it.
SPEAKER_00Let's just do it. I got a real cacao, like cocoa. I get that a lot with
A Surprise 2017 Grand Reserve Pour
SPEAKER_00thing, or is it a flavour thing? Do you think it reminds you?
SPEAKER_01I think it is. I think it's when I get what you're saying is cacao, I get as mocha. I always describe as mocha. And I think it's when a riper Shiraz goes in American oak.
SPEAKER_00That that's my so this one is the Beresford Grand Reserve 2017. I have no information on this one. Grand with an N or like a Grand Reserve.
SPEAKER_01Grand. Oh, okay. I was going to say Grand Reserve. I was like, that's very Spanish coded.
SPEAKER_00I shouldn't say I've got no information. I'll read it from the back label.
SPEAKER_01I'm having a lot of fun. I don't normally like tasting charades, but this is really cool. Okay, it's a good one.
SPEAKER_00Okay, this one is the pinnacle of their commitment to the world famous McLarenville wine region. It brings together the most exceptional grapes from meticulously selected low-yielding vineyard sites, done in open fermenters. It's two to three-year-old French oak, 16 to 18 months, and then they mature it for three years in bottle prior to release. Wow. That is very Spanish winemaking.
SPEAKER_01I'm actually really glad that we opened this because it is so different.
SPEAKER_00It's also 2017. Cool year.
SPEAKER_01Well, it's all red fruit though. That's the interesting thing. The nose is red fruit, it's like mulberry. Like it's it's different too.
SPEAKER_00And does this have black pepper? Because I see what I call a green peppercorn spice. Do you know that tin green peppercorn?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, no, the other one had more black pepper. This is I see.
SPEAKER_00I get that oh, that's always what I associate as black pepper, but but but but no, there's something because I can't smell it.
SPEAKER_01No, but there's something there's something greenish. I don't know what. Like um, like a herb, like a fresh herbie going on. And it's it's almost smells like Grenache. Do you reckon there's some carbonic or something?
SPEAKER_00I don't know, but that is that's beautiful. What's the alcohol on that? 13.6, which means it's probably 14.6.
SPEAKER_01Okay, can I just say Meg doesn't often normally Meg tastes and goes straight into tasting notes, but it's really rare for her to just stop and say that's beautiful.
SPEAKER_00Yes. It's it's just seamlessly put together the age on it. It's still such a young puppy because it's what nine years old, it's nearly 10 years old. 2017 was a traditional not traditionally was a cool vintage right across Australia. I feel the alcohol a little bit more, that could be because of the the age.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so Austin looked at us with a bit of a question before. I think you said 13.5 about the alcohol.
SPEAKER_00So it says 13.6. Usually if you put the 0.6 rather than 0.5, because you've got 1% to play with, it's actually 1% higher. So they they can't say 13.5, which is sort of sweet number. So if they put 13.6 because it could be 14.6. You can play with alcohol a little, just a little. So if you if like if I've got a sparkling base, right? Or a pin and noir, and it's actually 13.8, I'm more likely to put 12.8 on the label because that sends a message than 13.8.
SPEAKER_01It's almost like marketing gets a little play with the widget. Why are you allowed?
SPEAKER_00Is that because the way that we measure alcohol is an accurate accurate?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, okay, fair enough. I'm so glad we opened that.
SPEAKER_00I agree.
SPEAKER_01It wasn't just a richer version of no very different style. It was a very different style.
SPEAKER_00So it's again from the low-yielding vineyard. Do we know how much that's worth? No, but we can find out. We'll put it in the show notes. Yeah, let's I imagine a lot because if they're holding it back for three years, it's got almost two years in barrel, then three years, it's five years.
SPEAKER_01So if it's a 2017, that was a cooler vintage in like the era, does that mean it was probably all over a cooler vintage?
SPEAKER_00Pretty much the east, what we call the eastern seaboard. It was pretty cool. Yeah. Yep. Okay. I think W W A wasn't, but they're they're informed by a different. Yep.
SPEAKER_01Okay. We had a short break because we had to figure out what they're all worth. So we can tell you because we know that based on what we're saying, you're going to want to try them. Uh Meg, what was it? What are these worth?
Pricing Revealed And Food Pairings
SPEAKER_00So the trophy winner is worth $25. So that's just a straight Beresford McLarenville Shiraz. Then we had the Beresford Estate Grown Shiraz, which is the Blewitt Springs Vineyard, $45. And then we opened, because you wanted to, the 2017 Grand Reserve, Gron Reserve Shiraz, which is from selected parcels. So they go through and they triage the parcels, pick at different dates, age for 14 to 16 months in oak, and then three years in bottle before release. That is and justifiably say $120 a bottle.
SPEAKER_01So actually, while Austin was out.
SPEAKER_00That is a treat. That is a gift for someone.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, while Austin was out, kind of looking into the pricing. Meg and I were discussing that. Like first one, me and you would just like have a chat and a gossip and just a little bit of cheese, just we would just drink that. Oh my god, it's so good. But like that last one is something really special, like that you would want to share with friends, family, or like a special occasion, you'd open it for something special.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and it needs more than cheese, it needs something that you would think about serving. It needs protein.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, but weirdly enough, the estate I would serve with a steak before I serve. The Grand Reserve is like a lighter mulberry, even though it's rich.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, the Grand Reserve for me is more of your really exceptional the duck pasta that we had at Rain and Maroon. That is so true. A ragu with papadelli, whereas the estate needs a good charate because I think you see more of the oak in the estate, so it needs that a little bit of that char to complement the char with the wood. But for I mean, I would almost also go something like Osidbuco, that but it's complexity of flavour, I think, that you need for the Grand Reserve versus just big bold flavour that you need for the estate.
SPEAKER_01Cool, love it. Okay, okay. I don't want to run out of time to taste the function. Okay, sorry, sorry, sorry. So let's let's do it.
SPEAKER_00So Heritage Brand, Bearer's Food, very classic labelling. So I pull
Pecorino As The Future Play
SPEAKER_00out of the box as well three funky little labels. So I'll put them on the table so you see them. So there was a pecorino from the single vineyard Blue at Springs Vineyard. There was a Grenache, which we had to do a Grenache because this is dry grown bushvine stuff. But there was also an Adelaide Hills Pin and Wire, which I've elected not to show. We don't have time. Well, and also I want to focus on McClarify because I'm really just excited by those wines. And I think, and I can't speak for the business, but I think Pecorino for them is their kind of future-proofing, their adventure. Let's do something more adventurous. Pecorino is an indigenous Italian grape variety that's grown in the Marquet and Abruzzo, sort of, so that's the sort of the centre and a little bit south, so warmer parts, but it is grown in the hills of those regions, so it does get some of the Adriatic Sea cool breezes. McLarenville, Blue It Springs. We were just talking about that. Yeah. It's elevated, it's got some cool breezes. So it's prized for its crisp acidity and its high acid, citrus notes.
SPEAKER_01And it's just a cool we're starting to see like a little bit.
SPEAKER_00Just dribbled, sorry.
SPEAKER_01Oh, Meg's pouring. Meg's or Sim came over to pour for us.
SPEAKER_00When I was at Mills last week, not only did I smash two glasses, I went to pour a glass of champagne and literally just missed the glass entirely.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Are you okay?
SPEAKER_00I think I must have been getting sick that night.
SPEAKER_01Or Kate gave you a few gins. We did have a couple of gins in the Uber.
SPEAKER_00They arrived and they were already merry when they got to my house. I love I love Kate. She goes to the Uber driver. Do you mind if we have it if we drink? And so, and I'm just saying, yeah, she wants a Coke or something, and she pulls out the little four pillars.
SPEAKER_01Okay, no, but I love Kate that she follows the rules to a tee. I would just hide it from the Uber driver. Like I would not, I would not ask. I would just do like in the background. I can't believe she asked. Oh my god, I love her.
SPEAKER_00But did you know on the way home, yeah, the Uber driver said, I've never driven so far to where we live.
SPEAKER_01Oh yeah, well, you guys are real on the sticks, but you both have very beautiful, very, very beautiful properties. So I see the appeal. Okay, Pecorino. There is Yes. There is not much of it in Australia, but it's cool. Like it's I like it. You see it in like cool wine lists throughout Melbourne. It's like uh every now and then it comes up. And if you're ever with someone who knows about wine, it's exciting. Everyone gets excited about pecorino.
SPEAKER_00And the thing I love about it, when we said pecorino, Austin said to me, Isn't that a cheese? Yeah. And I said yes. But it derives from the Italian word pecora for sheep. Because historically the grapes were a favourite sweet treat for flocks of sheep being driven to lower pastures. How cute is that? It's dorable. So it's an early ripening variety, thrives best in high altitude hillside vineyards because you want to retain that crisp acidity, which this has smells like Riesling though.
SPEAKER_01Oh, it's it's it is got some rhinos.
SPEAKER_00I reckon she's got some solids in there though. Yeah. Because the texture is fantastic. It feels a little bit solids-y.
SPEAKER_01I'm sorry, but like I don't know if it's just the fact that we've been talking about cheese a lot. But do you kind of smell cheese as well? Yeah. Cheese rind. Of a hard cheese. In like a nice way. Like in a pepper. The thing is with pecan minerality as well, but there's something green as well.
SPEAKER_00The thing is with pecorino, it comes in so many different you've got the picato one with the pepper in it. Then you have pecorina salata, which is the one I like, the salty one for grating. Oh my god, are you talking about cheese now? Yeah. Okay. I am a cheese expert now. I can't keep up. Because we're opening a cheese shop, so I'm I'm all over cheese at the moment. From as that's just yum. Private ore. Achateur. It's a French word for private ore or something. Isn't that a cute name? Anyway, I digress, which is my problem. I love love, love.
SPEAKER_01And this podcast should be titled We Digress. Yes. Yeah, cool. Pecarino. Love it. And I just like I just love that they're doing it. So it's handpicked.
SPEAKER_00And cool fermented. Fresh citrus and pear, which is pretty classic. Yeah, it's just 12.8%.
SPEAKER_01That is fresh, like, yes, fresh citrus and pear is correct, but it smells like lime.
SPEAKER_00It smells like a reservoir.
SPEAKER_01The more interesting thing about it is the fact that it's the kind of solids y. Like it's got this weight to it. I would argue there's almost something like a green apple or a green something. There's this minerality, there's this like cheesy smell. Like it's got more interest factor beyond like pear.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and I just think like fennel sausages. Nice. Like, because that green fennel, it's not fennel in the wine, but there's something there's just a slight. Yeah, that is that is bloody delicious.
SPEAKER_01And I love the packaging. Like stupidly specific. Like everyone go to Italy, get that specific fennel and make sausages, and that's what you pair with this one.
SPEAKER_00Well in New Zealand, surprisingly, around Tolliga Bay, there's wild fennel growing everywhere. So we would often like because if you rent a batch in New Zealand, they come with spice racks that are like 400 years old. They were designed in the 70s and they haven't refilled the spices since then. So there's nothing in there. So you can go out and get your fennel from outside.
SPEAKER_01Let me just say Meg, it might be nice. Must be nice.
SPEAKER_00That's why my super shit, because I spend all my money on travel.
SPEAKER_01For everyone out there listening, you can just go buy fennel sausages. Let me make that clear.
SPEAKER_00And and make pasta a la nochina. Oh bye. Look up pasta a lacina on rubar it. No, no, it is literally five minutes. You squeeze out the sausages, you fry them off, you break them up with onion, you throw in cream, garlic, and white wine, and on rigature. You've seen me try to look at anyway. We digress. Peck. Well done, Beresford. That is on my playlist. We will put the price in the show notes so that you can and also photograph it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. Those ones aren't. That's a I think it's an entry-level type label, but it'll be like 20-30 bucks. Okay, we're gonna try one more because McLarenvale
Old Vine Grenache With Serious Structure
SPEAKER_01Grenache go hand in hand, and so we had to try their Grenache.
SPEAKER_00So this is 2023 old vine from their Blue Wit Spring Vineyard. Cool. It's grown on two blocks within Blue It Springs, harvested from over 60-year-old gnarly vines. And I just think McLarenvale Grenache is having a moment globally. It says 13.6%, so again, 14.6%. Now, one of the things that I learned this year making Grenache was that people think of traditional McLarenvale Grenache making, and this is just what I've heard anecdotally, I've got no proof of this, that they pick it really, really, really ripe so that they can get all that juicy jammy flavours. But if this is only 13.6, 14.6 probably would be correct.
SPEAKER_01But wait, what are you saying? That it hasn't been picked ripe or well, people are saying that they pick it ripe and then they water it back.
SPEAKER_00Oh now, I don't know. I I I didn't do that this year from for my Yarrow Valley Grenache in a very cool year.
SPEAKER_01You go to Yarrow Valley, I know.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I've made a chillable red. Oh yeah. It's being bottled on the 3rd of July.
SPEAKER_01Hey, this is kind of a serious Grenache.
SPEAKER_00Well, this is from the old vines. That is beautiful.
SPEAKER_01Holy shit. I was expecting like that.
SPEAKER_00Juicy juoby.
SPEAKER_01Juicy, yeah, yeah, yeah. Pluggable. Yeah, that's what I was expecting. That's that this is this is See that minerality?
SPEAKER_00That is a blue. I'm sure that is blue at Springs. Real classic wet stone.
SPEAKER_01It smells really good. It is, it's mineral, but and it's got this like fresh juiciness, but it's like it's not fresh and juicy, just that. It's also got this like more like uh deep, stable, like almost like an earthiness, counteracting that as well. There is something cool going on in this glass. I haven't even tasted it yet. That's just in the nose.
SPEAKER_00So they say for Blue It Springs Grenache generally, floral notes, pure raspberry, red fruit, and an earthy undertone. So yangara, I guess, is probably the one of the most famous. That's beautiful, isn't it?
SPEAKER_01It is ugly.
SPEAKER_00And I would say chill it. Oh like yes, but you could take it through from like you could.
SPEAKER_01I don't think you have to or should necessarily. I don't know. It is like red rippers. Like you could for. But I love the tannins. I think that undersells it by saying it's like a red ripper. Because I would say that about a more juicy, less interesting one. Like this is this is a nice Grenache.
SPEAKER_00This is a serious Grenache. There is that minerality, there's sort of that violet undertone, but it finishes like a red ripper with beautiful tannin structure. This is a good wine.
SPEAKER_01It's a really good wine. I and it's not and the alcohol's really in check. You know how I feel about Grenache. I feel like it should almost always be blended because that alcohol just throws it, and I love the flavours of Grenache.
SPEAKER_00And the acid can also be a little bit more.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's like Grenache has the most beautiful flavours as a wine, but it just needs to be blended because it can't hold its own as a single varietal. But this wine does.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and I think McLarenvale now is making the Grenache. Yeah, I do. I think they've figured it out and they're making some of the best Grenache.
SPEAKER_01We may have to do another Grenache episode because I reckon when we did out to the sub-regions. Yeah. Well, what but remember we did Grenache a couple of years ago?
SPEAKER_00And we look at spaying.
SPEAKER_01We kept Don's saying though, too high alcohol needs Shiraz.
SPEAKER_00From memory, we were looking at that $20 to $25 price point as well. So maybe we need to go a little bit more. I I'm interested to repeat it and see, like, have have I'm just interested to drink this. It's bloody delicious.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I want to drink it too. Food-wise. There are some episodes that we're like it hot dogs.
SPEAKER_00Did you just a good proper hot dog would be nice? Oh, as a parent. Front firsty kind of. No, don't I shut up. I'm just really into bland food at the moment. Hot dogs are not bland. No, I know. I know. Hot dogs are like. I love food so much.
SPEAKER_01Austin. Fresh fucking fennel from Italy. But it's true. Okay, no. So what I was gonna say is that sometimes we get to the end of the episodes and Ed we're always just like, eh, Austin, you just have them. Because like he loves great wine. But like this, this is yeah, this is one of the episodes where we're actually gonna argue.
SPEAKER_00There is arguments to be had here, but they're all actually to be honest, I'd be happy with anything because they all have their merits.
SPEAKER_01Totally, but I've got my eye on yep, that's fine. Yeah, we're gonna have to take turns choosing. We've got one like it's a soccer team. But yeah, we're gonna have to take turns. Okay. Enough. That's great. Yeah, that was great. Look, I think that's everything we have to say about this. We will engage.
SPEAKER_00It's just exciting to see a heritage
Final Verdicts And Where To Buy
SPEAKER_00brand doing something really cool, but also sticking to their guns and doing what they always did well, bloody brilliantly.
SPEAKER_01And it's always cool when like a $25 wine wins a huge award, and it's especially cool when it's on the world stage compared to other wines, and you can feel proud as an Australian to stand behind it and cut it out. And the wines, yeah. The wine stands up. Yeah, it does. It really, really, truly does. Well done, Beresford. Thank you, Beresford, for these wines for supporting this episode. And everyone, go check them out. We're going to put links and prices in the show notes. We are going to be back with you next week. Uh, what are we gonna do next week? Listener's questions or I reckon we should or we have Gamay as well. Oh, we'll see. No, we'll do listener's questions, and we'll be back with you next week to answer all the questions that you've sent in for us. Enjoy your next glass wine.
SPEAKER_00Drink well.
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