Tillie J Wines Langhorne Creek Grenache

The nose for me is bright, playful and red fruited. It’s highly perfumed with a touch of rose petal potpourri, sandalwood and ripe raspberries. The palate is delicate and light to medium bodied, with the same bright red fruit paired with vibrant acidity and fine tannin. A hint of savoury spice is provided by the whole bunch and sits respectfully behind the juicy, moreish fruit and musky appeal of this Grenache. This wine first came to fruition in 2022 when participating in Project 5255, an initiative created by the Langhorne Creek growers association to give up and coming small producers a leg up by supporting them with 2 tonnes of their chosen grape variety to work with. I chose Grenache and decided to make a lighter, brighter interpretation of the variety. Something to compliment and sit alongside the Pinot Noir I was already making from the Yarra Valley. Making wine from this region also allowed me to challenge my wine making skills and go outside of my cool climate comfort zone. The wine was received with great positivity so I decided to make more in 2024. This parcel of fruit was sourced from the Watkins Vineyard in Langhorne Creek about 70 km southeast of Adelaide. The region consists of grey-brown or brown loamy soils with sand and areas of limestone throughout. Once in the cellar, the fruit was completely whole bunch fermented and inoculated with a Pinot dominant yeast. The ferment was sealed and allowed to start carbonically, then after 3 days was gently foot stomped to release some juice. As the berries began to break down and more juice started to flow the wine was pumped over twice a day until primary fermentation was complete. Pressed and transferred to all neutral French oak barriques where it completed secondary fermentation and matured on lees for a further 6 months. The wine was then blended, lightly filtered and bottled. This wine is vegan.