Seaview · McLaren Vale
Romano Vineyard Grenache
2024 · Grenache
94/100
From vines planted in 1964 in Seaview to sandy loam soils. Second year in, this is a new addition to the Pare lineup, seeing 50% whole bunch and maturation in neutral oak. That bunch plays out on the nose in a spicy, dried herb, autumnal way, sans green characters, while lifting and energising the palate. Dried cherry, wild raspberry, bay laurel, pressed flowers, warmed caraway, pepper and fennel seeds. The shape really makes this sing, with an expansive perfume in the mouth seeming to float across the palate. Fruit sweetness is enmeshed in the savouriness, engulfing yet weightless, the tannic web a complex weave of skin and stem tannin. — Marcus Ellis, Halliday Wine Companion
Winemaking
Handpicked fruit is wild fermented with significant whole bunch, extraction kept gentle. Time in neutral puncheons rounds the wine out, giving a savoury Grenache of bramble and spice over fine tannins — approachable young.
The vineyard
Romano Vineyard sits at 100 metres in the Seaview district, closer to the coast than any other site we work with. Bruno Romano farms the Grenache here, planted in 1964 and dry grown ever since. Cool maritime air off Gulf St Vincent moves inland through the afternoon, moderating ripening and holding acidity. The soil is well-drained sandy loam, with more structure than the deep sands of Blewitt Springs and a little more moisture through summer.