2023 Old McDonald Blewitt Springs McLaren Vale Grenache, S.C. Pannell

• Style: Medium-bodied, fine-tannin Grenache
• Taste: Blood orange, pomegranate, Turkish delight, chorizo spice, rose
• Food: Grilled meats, roasted duck, braised beef, pork, eggplant
• Occasion: Date night, gifting, cellar worthy
• Serve: 14% ABV, ready now or age with grace

In the Glass — Tasting Notes

Blood orange and pomegranate sit at the core, threaded through with Turkish delight, chorizo spice and a whisper of rose. Medium-bodied but dense, the wine is built on fine tannins that grip without fuss, held in conversation by acidity that keeps everything alive. At 14% ABV, it drinks with poise and real presence.

The Winery — Stephen Pannell

A two-time Jimmy Watson Trophy winner and one of Australia's most respected winemakers, Pannell moved into his own McLaren Vale winery in 2014, now controlling 36 hectares of vineyard. His philosophy is steadfast: fruit grown in the right place with considerable attention in the vineyard requires minimal intervention in the winery. The Old McDonald vineyard features pre-clonal bush vines planted around 1940, organically managed and dry-grown on deep Maslin Beach sand over clay at 80m elevation. The 2023 vintage — challenging but rewarding — was hand-harvested in early March, fermented with 12% whole bunch in an open-top stainless tank for 15 days on skins, then matured in old French oak with minimal handling: no fining, no filtration, no additions. Bottled on screwcap, early picking enabled Pannell to capture the restraint and depth this year demanded.

At Your Table — Food Pairing & Serving

Grilled meats and roasted duck sing with this McLaren Vale powerhouse; braised beef, pork and eggplant all meet their match. The textural balance that defines great Grenache — acidity and tannin in conversation, not conflict — makes it equally at home at a cellar-worthy dinner party or an intimate date night. Ready now, it will age with grace. Explore the rest of our Australia selection to see what else this region and winemaker can offer. Discover other Grenache & Garnacha wines in our range, or browse more from McLaren Vale.