Cirillo Estate 1850s Old Vine Grenache 2004
A wine produced from the oldest viable Grenache vines in the world - I do believe there are some older in Spain, but they're no longer viable. Youth is wasted on the young they say, but here relatively youthful winemaker Marco Cirillo has been appointed custodian of some much envied old vine resource.
I pulled this from my private cellar. A few years back I was presented with the opportunity to purchase a mini-vertical of the Old Vines Grenache, an opportunity I took but until now hadn't availed of.
At nine years this wine has firmly lost its sheen of youth, taking on the slightly dulled, brickish quality of advancing years. Leathery, baked earth, with flashes of the red fruits that would likely have formed the wine's primary character. A little minty, raspberry leaf quality provides a little high-hat to the wine's undoubted savoury quality.
The palate shows a wine of intensity, focussed; a dark, almost liquid earth character, combined with with a little camp essence, and rounding it off with a little residual sweetness. The wine still feels like it has much ahead of it, still retaining a freshness, and plenty of acidity still featuring to give confidence of another 5-8 years cellarability.
Greater than the sum of its parts, it brings it all together: intensity, coffeed hints with touches of sweetness and spice. Special. 94
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