Hayes Family Glengrae Old Bush Grenache 2022

Glenn Becker's dry-grown bush block in Ebenezer is one of the true treasures of the Northern Barossa — a lost block of less than 2 acres, planted generations ago and farmed the traditional way, with no access to supplementary water. It's highly exposed and subject to frost most years, and the vineyard itself feels like a genuine reflection of Glenn and his character: unique, uncompromising, and only occasionally generous. In the years it does crop well, the fruit is of such quality that a small volume gets bottled as part of the Vineyard Series — 2022 was one of those years.

As is typical for this block, the fruit was hand-picked at relatively low baumé, late in the season, then destemmed and fermented for 18 days on skins before being transferred to a single puncheon for maturation.

The result is highly perfumed and medium-to-full bodied, with the five-spice character this block often shows, dense fruit, and a distinctly savoury edge, finishing with great length and persistence — a wine built to be enjoyed over many years. Medium-full red in colour with a purple tint at the rim, the nose shows spice and cherry alongside hints of sarsaparilla and cherry brandy, with succulent, sweet ripe fruit at its core. The palate carries that same ripe fruit wrapped in drying yet supple tannin. A genuinely excellent Grenache.