Grenache Assembly 2025, Hong Kong Version

Tasting preparation Vincci and Stephen Nelson; photo by Vincci Nelson(4 Sepetember 2025, CWC HK)

The 12 wines of the evening, carefully selected to showcase 4 distinct regional interpretations (South Australian, Southern Rhone, South African and Spanish), represent some of the good examples of what people were doing with the grape around the world. Rightly quoted by the organisers from The Gray Report, great Grenache is indeed very rare and special, making this HKWS tasting a unique and valuable experience for all wine enthusiasts of the evening, members and non-members alike. 

The wines were opened at 3 pm, decanted at 3:30 and put back in the bottle around 6 pm. 

The standout wines of the evening were the Yangarra High Sands Grenache 2021 from McLaren Vale and the Alkina Estate Grenache 2024 from Barossa Valley. 

There are 18 participants, with 15 completed score sheets returned. 

A. Alkina Cirillo 1850 Grenache 2018, Barossa Valley, SA

For most tasters of the evening, the Alkina Cirillo 1850 Grenache 2018 stood out as a truly unique offering. It boasts a purity of fruit, with distinct notes of orange peel, spice, and orange blossom. These lead into a delicate cherry fruit, accompanied by hints of dried herbs. The palate is structured, with lingering flavours of tangerine and fruit spices, culminating in a textured, chalky, tight and elegant finish. 1 First, 2 Seconds, 0 Last; ranked 5th; total score 94.  

From online information, the Cirillo 1850 Grenache is grown in sandy soils located in the old Seigersdorf or Light Pass area of the Barossa Valley. This vineyard is believed to be the oldest Grenache vineyard in the world.

B. 2021 Aphelion 'Rapture' Grenache, McLaren Vale,  SA

Savouring the 2021 Aphelion 'Rapture' Grenache, McLaren Vale, tasters are struck by its unique characteristics. It features subtle stone fruit characteristics, combined with tones of ripe raspberries and cherries, orange peel, and a slightly confectionery sweetness that some tasters found off-putting at first but grew to appreciate. The palate is robust, hinting at a meaty finish. 0 First, 1 Second, 2 Lasts; ranked 11th; total score 121. 

Online information recommends drinking this wine young. The final blend consists of 57% Wait Top Bush Block whole bunch, 18% Wait Top Bush Block extended ferment, and 25% Brini vineyard fruit. All three batches were pressed into large-format neutral French oak, where they remained on full lees until racking for blending and bottling in January 2022.

C. Adelina Estate Grenache 2022, Clare Valley, SA

The Adelina Estate Grenache 2022, Clare Valley, presents elegant orange fruit with reasonably ripe fruit, intertwined with savoury notes. It has a refreshing acidity and silky tannins, giving it a weightless feel. The balance is delicate, making it a refreshing and lightish wine. 0 Firsts, 1 Seconds, 2 Lasts; ranked 12th; total score 130. 

Online information says this is a basic Estate wine. 

D. Domain Gramenon 2022 La Sagesse, Côtes du Rhône

The rustic and firm, with chewy yet rounded and dry cherry fruit. While some tasters found the integration lacking, the eventual calm and elegant freshness on the finish surprised many after the initial meaty richness. The tasters detected a moderate alcohol level, but the intensity was pronounced. It has characteristics reminiscent of GSM blends, yet it is a pure Grenache. 2Firsts, 2 Seconds, and 2 Lasts; ranked 5th; total score 94. 

Online information says there are three plots of land in Gramenon, located in the commune of Montbrison sur Lez. These plots sit on a limestone plateau at an altitude of 300 meters and on a sandy southern slope, with old Grenache vines aged between 50 and 70 years, cultivated biodynamically. The yield is a mere 20 hl/ha! The wine is a result of natural winemaking practices that involve hand-picking, sorting, a shorter 15-day maceration in raw cement vats, and fermentation using indigenous yeasts, with maturation in barrels for 12 months. 

E. Camando G La Bruja de Rozas 2020, Sierra de Gredos, Spain

There were diverse opinions on this wine, sparking engaging discussions among the tasters. While Amelia found the nose to be too 'bretty', Nico appreciated its complexity and bold, aromatic, and expressive qualities. Other tasters noted the citrusy orange peel aromas alongside red fruits, with hints of subtle lactic and mineral notes, leading to a smooth and elegant palate. This diversity of views added an extra layer of interest to the tasting experience. 1 First, 2 Seconds, 2 Lasts; ranked 9th; total score 106.

According to online sources, the 2020 La Bruja de Rozas is the first red wine to be bottled and sold, and it shows a bit more reduction. The grapes were harvested before torrential rains, resulting in a riper profile compared to the wines picked afterwards (from the single vineyards). This wine is expected to have a flinty nose, with a note of struck match. It shows good ripeness at 14.5% alcohol, a result of the meticulous winemaking process that includes hand-harvesting and fermentation using indigenous yeasts.

F. Sade Family Sodaat 2020, Piekenierskloof, South Africa  

Comments about this wine include a lovely nose with floral notes and a refined, structured finish. This wine is often quoted online. 2 Firsts, 1 Second, 2 Lasts; ranked 7th; total score 97. 

G. Yangarra High Sands Grenache 2021, McLaren Vale, SA 

Feedback included an excellent nose with purity of fruit and transparency. It is considered complex, intense and long, with earthy notes that improve throughout the tasting. Some described the fruit as cooked or suppressed (due to oak). It captures some sweet succulence, high-end perfumes, resulting in a medium-bodied wine that is extraordinarily rich, complex, and layered, with a powerful and long palate. 1 First, 2 Seconds, 0 Last; ranked 1st; total score 74. 

According to information found online, this Grenache is the pinnacle of the estate, sourced from prized old vines planted in deep sandy soils in 1946. Other online information says this wine features a mix of 50% whole berries fermented with wild yeast in open fermenters, with an extended maceration period and maturation in Austrian and French oak foudres, puncheons, and ceramic eggs. 

H. Alkina Estate Grenache 2024, Barossa Valley, SA  

This basic wine has received positive comments for its great fruit nose, floral aromas, and pleasantly light body. To some tasters, this simple wine has a beautiful structure, featuring tightly wound tannins around a core of red fruit, spice, and dried flowers, with a mineral edge buoyed by bright natural acidity. 0 First, 2 Seconds, 0 Lasts; ranked 1st- a tie with wine G; total score 74. 

From online sources, this wine is produced from 70-year-old blocks, with improvements in fruit quality attributed to enhanced viticultural focus over the years. Well-liked. 

I. Alkina Polygon 5 Grenache 2022, Barossa Valley, SA

Fruit is masked to start with, but there are hints of suppressed expression of red fruit and orange pastille, dried herbs, lavender, and a chalky tannin in the finish, which is long and linear. 0 First; 0 Seconds, 0 Lasts; ranked 9th; total score 106. 

Please also read The Polygon Project. 

J. MMAD Grenache 2022, McLaren Vale 

This wine has rich red cherry and raspberry fruit, with some opulence on the front palate. Then the grainy, firm tannins come to the fore and form the backbone of the long palate. This wine is characterised by energy and density, showcasing what Grenache from old vines can do. 1 First, 1 Second, 1 Last; ranked 3rd; total score 94.

From online information, about 15% whole bunches are fermented in wood and stainless steel before undergoing malolactic fermentation and maturation in concrete and large old French oak barrels.

k. Alkina Polygon 3, 2023, Baross Valley,  SA

Suppressed. In the glass, the wine eventually hints at pretty floral aromatics like notes of potpourri, orange blossom, as well as spice, framing the red fruit core of crunchy cranberry and raspberry. A wine with light brush strokes over an elegant frame. There's real tension on the palate as the vibrant fruit, cool natural acid and powdery mouth-coating tannins carry this medium-bodied Grenache through to a long finish. Almost Burgundian (colour, fruit profile, fine tannins, style, structure). 4 Firsts, 1 Second, 1 Last; ranked 4th; total score 86.  

Please also read The Polygon Project. 

L. Domaine Charvin 2020, CDP, France

Overall comments include: a big wine, porty, structured, fruity, tannic, oaky, licoriced, oxidative. There are aromas of pomegranate and raspberry, followed by secondary notes of leather and violet, with mild tannins, bold flavours and a long, slaty finish. It needs compulsory decanting to reveal its rare quality. 3 Firsts, 0 Seconds, 3 Lasts; ranked 8th; total score 104. 

Online information says that these vineyards have a terroir of rocks and stones over limestone and clay soils. On average, their vines are close to 50 years of age. 

The tasting notes are consolidated by K Tang, 4 September 2025, at the Assembly tasting and dinner.