Grenache //​ Ministry of Clouds

Entwined within a complex deep core of red and purple fruit aromas, violets, earth and herb tinged; the palate is pure with old-vine flesh, calming depth and purity, but kept necessarily fresh by grainy tannins and a bright line of natural acid.

Winemaker

Bernice Ong &
​Julian Forwood

Farming

Practising organic.

Region

Blewitt Springs & Clarendon,
​McLaren Vale

Vineyard

Hand harvested from a pair of vineyards, one 81 and the other 98 years of age situated in the higher climes of Blewitt Springs and Clarendon. Planted into deep Aeolian sand these sites express a spicy, more modestly built, and slender expression of McLaren Vale Grenache. 

Grapes

Grenache

Winemaking

De-stemmed 90% to retain whole berries, including the balance as whole bunches. Wild ferments in traditional open fermenters, with hand plunging twice daily to wet the caps, but not so vigorous as to macerate the stalks. After 13 days on skins, we basket pressed each parcel to a mixture of old oak puncheons and a 1000-litre foudre. 11 months only in large old oak to allow the blend to come together and bottled young before any meaningful oak influence can be seen.