Grenache, Swartland,

The wine that some might argue put David & Nadia on the map in the UK, the 2019 Grenache is a model of calm sophistication. The core of the wine, as always, is a Paardeberg granite based vineyard planted in the early 2000s, blended with a similarly aged organically certified vineyard planted in deep rich clay soils, north of Malmesbury. The ’19 again shows how well Grenache is suited to the hot, dry climate of the Swartland, for although picked on the earlier side and bottled at 13.5% ABV, it loses none of its fragrant, feminine and ethereal presence. Subtly spiced red fruit with fresh strawberries, white pepper, rocks and minerals, its powdery structure and tight linear style make this a very elegant and engaging example of the variety. For the first time, the 2019 Grenache was aged 1/3 in concrete, and spent four weeks on the skins with 60% whole bunches, seeing just one punch down per day. Matured in old 500L neutral French oak barrels and a 2,700L concrete vessel for a year before bottling.