A & C Ainsworth 2023 Grenache

Notes from BIG Andy.
Grenache is one of my very favourite grape varieties and I am thrilled to produce a wine each year from this site that seems to offer so much. After a Downey Mildew scare early in the growing season I thought the Grenache might be unavailable this year, but was ecstatic to hear that there was some fruit available, albeit only 900kg! As tends to my preference, the Grenache was picked nice and ripe, foot-stomped and fermented as whole bunches. During fermentation the wine was gently pumped over daily for around a month and then pressed off into one 500L 10 year old French oak puncheon. It spent 10 months in this vessel before being bottled in February 2023. The resulting wine is very aromatic evoking ripe red berries, rose petals and baking spice with fine tannins that will carry the wine through medium term cellaring if you wish.