M L rusty red brown colour which comes from the iron oxides present in the stone . The larger pieces of this stone were cleared from the vineyards in the late 1880 ' s and utilised in many of the buildings at d ' Arenberg .
The Ironstone Pressing is a classic blend of Grenache , Shiraz and Mourvèdre ( the GSM blend ). Again , while enjoyable in its youth , this wine will reach its full potential with bottle age of up to at least 15 years . This wine often needs time to unwind and mellow out . The structure and depth of the wine means that the fruit characters develop over time , again leaving you wonderfully complex bottle of wine . The nose is fragrant , with intense McLaren Vale Grenache blood orange character and , perhaps unsurprisingly , ferrous notes . On the palate you get some sweetness , plenty of red fruit and some spice . Again , depending on vintage , we are talking around £ 35 / 36 a bottle .
I am currently enjoying the 2002 vintage of this wine ( 70 % Grenache , 25 % Shiraz and 5 % Mourvèdre ). The wine is a deep black colour , but with soft crimson edges . It still has a slightly jammy nose with tastes of blackberry , dark chocolate , liquorice and tar . Beautifully balanced still .
‘ The Custodian ’ Grenache During a vine pull scheme in the 1980 ' s the winery refused to remove its old grenache vineyards . Today d ' Arenberg is the keeper of nearly one third of McLaren Vale ' s old bush vine grenache , earning the title of ' Custodian ' of the variety .
Whilst a fuller bodied style of grenache , as compared to other single varietal grenache wines from around the world , this wine is one that can be drunk now or in the future . The 2016 vintage exhibits blood orange on the nose . On the palate you get lots of red fruit and savoury spice . It is a wonderfully textured wine with lovely acidity and beautiful tannins . Great stuff , very quaffable and , depending on vintage , great value at the £ 14 - £ 17 a bottle mark .
The ‘ Money Spider ’ Roussanne As the story goes , the first crop of Roussanne , from the 2000 vintage , was covered in tiny Money Spiders . Popular belief is that kindness to these creatures will bring good luck , so Chester Osborne apparently refrained from sending the spiders to their death . By the next year the Money Spiders had relocated , making the first release of this wine in 2001 .
This is an exotic , yet robust , full flavoured and complex wine . It is rich , a touch waxy and extremely textured on the palate . The current release in the UK is the 2020 vintage . It has a tropical-fruit and citrus flavour , with an exotic nose and aromas of orange zest , lime and lemon grass . It
is an intense wine with a wonderful finish . I most recently purchased this wine , from this vintage , from the Wine Society at £ 12.95 a bottle . For those of you who are not members , you can also find it online at anywhere between £ 13 and £ 17 a bottle .
The ‘ Hermit Crab ’ Viognier - Marsanne Many of McLaren Vale ’ s vineyards are on free-draining soils underlain with limestone , formed by the calcareous remains of the local marine fauna . One such creature was the Hermit Crab , a reclusive little crustacean that inhabits the cast-off shells of others . The Osborn family thought the name appropriate for this wine , McLaren Vale ’ s first ever blend of Viognier and Marsanne . “ Hermit ” is also an abbreviation for the French appellation where the Marsanne grape variety dominates .
The viognier grape is exotic and perfumed . The Marsanne grape is stone fruited in character . Together , here , they combine to make a lovely perfumed , refreshing and vibrant wine . Again , the latest vintage available in the UK , is the 2020 . It is pale straw in colour and offers up lovely , perfumed orange and citrus blossom , green papaya , tropical pineapple , ginger and grapefruit notes . Again , I most recently purchased this wine , from this vintage , from the Wine Society at £ 11.50 a bottle . For those of you who are not again members , you can also find it online at anywhere between £ 11.50 and £ 15 a bottle .
The d ’ Arenberg stable produces a huge array of fantastic wines , which are generally available online , from numerous outlets . They are all reasonably priced and offer great value for money . They cross a wide spectrum when it comes to price and , therefore , affordability for everyone .
I can probably do no more justice to the d ’ Arenberg winery , in concluding , other than to quote from an article which talks about the world ’ s best vineyards ( and in which d ’ Arenberg obviously features ): “ Australia ’ s very own Willy Wonka of wine has turned his family ’ s McLaren Vale estate into a veritable extravaganza , with feasts for all the senses just 45 minutes from Adelaide . Experiences at d ’ Arenberg are almost as flamboyant as winemaker Chester Osborn ’ s wardrobe ( he can easily be identified by his loud shirts , untamed grey curls and the odd hat ), an estate brimming with personality that nonetheless respects a 109-year heritage that places it among the country ’ s prestigious First Families of Wine ”.
In all their wines you find quality and personality . Whatever your taste in wine , there is much to choose from their extensive range . merseylife . com 33