Little Giant McLaren Vale Grenache 2023 (Australia)

Description

Oak, Raspberry, Vanilla

A full-bodied wine with ample weight and ripe fruit intensity, yet retaining a fresh feel. Bursting with expressive red and dark berry flavours, complemented by hints of chocolate and subtle oak. The palate features soft tannins, providing a lasting concentration of berry fruit, vanilla, and ground spices.

The southern hairy-nose wombat is smaller than other wombats but is stocky, robust and the proud state emblem of South Australia. Like the might of the little wombat, Little Giant is crafted from premium regional South Australian fruit from established vineyards that deliver character and interest well above their size and weight. Hand-crafted and made with minimal additions and preservatives, these are wines made of the vineyard. The grapes are picked at optimal ripeness, minimally handled in the winery and fruit vibrancy is not hidden by non-essential artefact. Seeking first and foremost fruit expression, drinkability and to be a great accompaniment to food. Don’t let the size fool you, these are wines you’ll want to drink.

The winter and spring prior to the 2023 vintage was generally a little wetter and cooler than what is usual, delaying the start of vintage and meaning some extra care was required through the growing period. Whilst the vintage was indeed later than usual, there were some really beautiful parcels of fruit that benefited from being grown in sites where the slower ripening simply enabled flavour ripeness to be achieved with character & balance.

Little Giant Grenache was crafted from a combination of older and younger vine Grenache vineyards within Seaview and Willunga. Small 3-5 tonne batches of high quality handpicked fruit were fermented separately in open top fermenters. Minimal daily plunging ensued to gently build colour and the tannin profile without over extraction before being transferred partially to older oak and the remainder to stainless steel tank for maturation prior to blending and bottling.

Food Pairing: Ideal with lamb shoulder and spicy couscous.