McLaren Sand Hills Grenache
⏳ Drinking Window
2022 - 2028
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted duck, grilled lamb chops, Moroccan vegetable tagine
✨ Technical Specifications
d'Arenberg's relationship with Grenache is legendary, dating back to the winery's earliest days in McLaren Vale. This wine highlights the unique terroir of McLaren Vale's elevated sand hills, particularly around the Blewitt Springs sub-region, where ancient, deep sandy soils force the old vines to dig deep for water. This specific terroir imparts a distinctively aromatic, elegant, and perfumed character to the Grenache, contrasting with the heavier clay-grown styles. In the cellar, d'Arenberg remains fiercely traditional: grapes are gently foot-trodden in open fermenters and pressed using historic basket presses, followed by aging in seasoned oak casks to preserve the vibrant, spicy red fruit profile and fine-grained tannins that define sandy-soil Grenache.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1912 by Joseph Osborn, d'Arenberg stands as an iconic pillar of McLaren Vale viticulture, stewarded today by fourth-generation chief winemaker Chester Osborn. The estate spans undulating coastal landscapes influenced by the moderating maritime winds of the Gulf St Vincent, resting upon complex, ancient geologies ranging from calcareous Terra Rossa to sandy loam and weathered limestone. Viticulture is rigorous and certified organic and biodynamic across all estate-owned and leased vineyards. While renowned for formidable Rhone-style reds, d'Arenberg's white winemaking upholds identical artisanal rigor: gentle whole-bunch basket pressing ensures minimal phenolics and purity of expression. From the racy, textural The Money Spider Roussanne and crisp The Dry Dam Riesling to the lusciously layered botrytised expressions The Noble Semillon and The Noble Botryotinia Fuckeliana, the wines epitomize balance, crystalline minerality, and vibrant natural acidity.
🍇 Grapes
Grenache
🍷 ABV
14-14.5%