Chapel Hill wins fans with McLaren Vale grenache, shiraz, cabernet and verdelho

While there’s buzz about newer varieties like tempranillo and sangiovese, winemakers are getting excited that one of the first grapes planted in Australia is growing in popularity.

Vines of yore: Grenache blend leads a stellar dozen deal from Chapel Hill.

While there’s plenty of buzz about newer varieties such as tempranillo and sangiovese, winemakers are getting excited that one of the first grapes planted in Australia is winning over more and more fans.

Good old-fashioned grenache is on the rise, appealing with its fruity, rustic charms.

And it’s about time: Australia boasts the oldest grenache vines in the world, with the Barossa Valley’s Cirillo family producing wine from bush vines believed to have been planted around 1850 and McLaren Vale being home to several century-old vineyards.

“Grenache is becoming more and more popular – we’re definitely seeing that,’’ says Michael Fragos, chief winemaker at Chapel Hill, one of McLaren Vale’s leading five-star wineries. “These adorable old bush vines really are absolute treasures.”

A soft and beautifully balanced grenache blend is one of four wines made exclusively by Chapel Hill for The Australian Wine Club, which we’re offering as our deal of the week.

McLaren Vale has been regarded for some time as Australia’s leading grenache producer, a status reflected in the latest edition of the Halliday Wine Companion. Of the 26 highest-rated grenache wines, 15 came from McLaren Vale.

The top two were also both from McLaren Vale, including Chapel Hill’s 1897 Vines Grenache 2018.

Fragos, who is finishing up his 19th consecutive vintage at Chapel Hill, loves working with small batches of grenache to bring to the fore its beautiful lifted aromatics, which often display red fruit characters such as strawberries, cherries and raspberries.

Grenache of course is the G in those GSM blends appealing to wine drinkers looking for medium-bodied red wines that are not as heavy as typical shirazes and cabernets but are still bursting with rich flavours.

These blends – often described as Rhone-style reds due to their fame in southern French regions such as Chateauneuf-du-Pape – are also incredibly versatile as a match for meaty dishes, ranging from roasted chicken and duck to barbecued lamb and pork.

While being one of the finest producers of grenache in the Vale, Chapel Hill was one of the first wineries in the region to embrace the Sustainable Winegrowing Australia program.

Recycled waste water from the winery is used to irrigate vines; bunch stems discarded during the winemaking process are used as compost to eliminate the use of synthetic fertilisers; native grasses are left to grow under vines, improving soil quality by increasing organic carbon levels and reducing erosion.

And when it comes to the wine, Fragos adheres to traditional practices: the red wines are not fined or filtered and there’s no artificial tannins used. As a result, there’s a natural purity flowing through these exclusive wines we offer this week at savings of well over $200 a dozen.

Chapel Hill The Prophet McLaren Vale Verdelho 2021

The best verdelho offers a crisp, zesty drinking experience that refreshes the palate. Chapel Hill has perfected this variety over the years, deliberately picking the fruit at three different stages: firstly to pick up the early lemongrass and kaffir lime characters; a week later, as the fruit ripens to reveal tropical flavours; and finally, another week later, as the grapes develop honeysuckle notes, which give the finished wine length. It’s all here in the 2021: citrus tang, passionfruit and pineapple on the palate, and a touch of honey and spice. It’s an underrated wine variety well worth getting to know. 13% alc; RRP
$22 a bottle.

SPECIALS $14.99 a bottle in straight dozen or $18.74 a bottle in mixed Chapel Hill dozen

Chapel Hill The Prophet Grenache Syrah Mourvedre 2020

These three quintessential McLaren Vale varieties are woven together to deliver a textbook GSM: grenache 57%, shiraz 36% and mourvedre (also known as mataro) 7%. The grenache delivers lifted red fruit aromas, leading to naturally sweet flavours of raspberries and cherries, with a touch of olive on the finish. Beautifully balanced, with a textured mouthfeel. A little beauty. 14.5% alc; RRP $42 a bottle.

SPECIALS $18.74 a bottle in mixed Chapel Hill dozen; $19.99 in straight dozen or reds-only dozen

Chapel Hill The Prophet McLaren Vale Shiraz 2020

You can see a brightness to this wine, hinting at the quality of the fruit. Blueberry, Satsuma plum and milk chocolate flavours flow, with soft tannins giving a silky, smooth passage across the palate. This is classic McLaren Vale shiraz that over-delivers in value. 14.5% alc; RRP
$42 a bottle.

SPECIALS $18.74 a bottle in mixed Chapel Hill dozen; $19.99 in straight dozen or reds-only dozen

The Prophet by Chapel Hill McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

 

While shiraz may have powered McLaren Vale’s international reputation, its cabernet is also world class. As James Halliday often says, the Vale has a long history of producing high-quality cabernet. The 2019 Prophet is immediately approachable. Blackcurrant and cassis flavours lead, with green capsicum, bay leaf and black olive tapenade characters adding complexity in the background. A generous wine that speaks to Chapel Hill’s all-round class. 14.5% alc; RRP $42
a bottle.

SPECIALS $18.74 a bottle in mixed Chapel Hill dozen; $19.99 in straight dozen or reds-only dozen

DOZEN DEALS

3 bottles of verdelho and 3 bottles of each red: $18.74 a bottle

4 bottles of each red: $19.99 a bottle

Order online or telephone [phone] Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm AEST. Deals only available while stocks last. The Australian Wine Club is a commercial partnership with Laithwaites Wine.