Bulman Glen's Vineyard Grenache 2023

Not much can be said here other than directing you to Campbell’s notes below. These wines came through Five Ways last week and absolutely blew us away. Glen’s Vineyard (Eden Valley) is so fine, so elegant, so perfumed. It absolutely fits the mould of what a ‘Grand Cru’ wine in Australia would look like, if we categorised wines in that way. Gary’s Vineyard (Blewitt Springs, McLaren Vale) is a slightly (relatively) more burly rendition of Grenache, with more grainy tannin and slightly darker fruit tones. They make a great pair and will be fascinating to watch age. – Ches Cook, FWC. 

Glen's Vineyard Grenache is from the Eden Valley. Specifically, it's from the Stonegarten Vineyard, established in 1857. It spent zero time in oak; it's main winemaking details are these: "28 Days on skins pre-ferment, 8 day ferment, 36 days on skins post ferment. 178 days in a sandstone amphora."

My first reaction, in all honesty, was that it's completely different to anything I've seen previously from the Eden Valley. And yet, the longer I sat with it, the more Eden Valley it seemed. This wine sets sail for eden, as a concept, and then returns to Eden, as its home. It throws characters of stone, concrete, redcurrant, blood orange, mint, rust, seaweed and assorted other shopping list items, but it's the flamboyance of its scent, the long raking farmland of tannin, and the collection of blood-splattered stones that really set it in its place. Yes, I think it's good. Drink 2024 - 2038. 97 Pts, Campbell Mattinson, Wine Front.