Hayes Family Estate Grenache Block 2 2021

Hayes Family Wines is a small, family-owned producer based in Stone Well, on the Western Ridge of the Barossa Valley. Founded by Brett Hayes and helmed by winemaker Andrew Seppelt — a Barossa veteran with over 25 years' experience, including a stint as GM and winemaker at Torbreck — the label is built on old, dry-grown vineyards farmed with minimal intervention, letting each site and vintage speak for itself. The Estate Vineyard is Certified Organic and Certified Sustainable, and Hayes has carried a five-star rating in the James Halliday Wine Companion every year since launching.

2021 will be remembered as an almost faultless Barossa Valley vintage, following the more challenging years that came before it. Good spring rains meant the growing season began with genuinely good soil moisture for the first time in years, followed by a warm, dry run that produced balanced, healthy canopies and an average crop of exceptionally high-quality fruit — arguably the best in a decade, if not longer. Flavour and colour development in the reds, and overall quality across the board, was outstanding. A truly great Barossa vintage in the making.

This Single Block Estate Grenache comes from Block 2 of the Estate Vineyard in Stone Well — deep gravelly loam over red clay and mottled white clay. Certified Organic.

The wine carries all the hallmarks of old-vine Grenache in an excellent vintage: a bright purple-red hue, lifted florals, and red fruit character, medium in weight with a layer of very fine tannin. Deep red in colour with a tint of purple, the nose shows dark plum, blackberry and a subtle herbal edge. On the palate it's sweet and juicy with a jammy overtone, the tannin backing it up with just the right amount of grip — no greenness, no astringency. Very ripe, almost opulent flavours, finishing with a touch of chew. Textbook Grenache, from a textbook season.