This week I am focusing on New World wines for my course. I have selected this bottle to kick off the festivities and here is my official tasting note for class:

Clarendon Hills Grenache ‘Romas’ 2011, Australia 14.5% ABV

• Appearance- Deep ruby with thick legs.
• Nose- Pronounced aromas of red plum, raspberry, blackcurrants, chocolate, coffee and smoke. Developing.
• Palate- Dry, medium acidity, medium+ tannins, high alcohol, medium+ body, medium+ intensity flavors of raspberry, red plum, chocolate, coffee, licorice. Medium finish.
• Conclusion- good quality, drink now but has potential for aging.

I have drunk many different vintages and varietals from this winery.  Their Syrah mimics Rhone wines rather than jammy Shiraz.  This particular bottle of Grenache was somewhat one-dimensional and lacked much development, even with 10+ years of aging.  It was very tasty but had a bit of astringency that bothered me.  

It ran me $30 per bottle and I am going with 89 points- kind of disappointing, I know. 2 stars, hopefully the other bottles show better as the original pro review gave it upwards of 95 points. Drink till 2030, served mine with grilled Hangar steak and Chimichurri. Salut….