Schild Estate Edgar Schild Reserve Old Bush Vine Grenache 2020

100% Grenache.

The Schild Estate Edgar Schild Reserve Old Bush Vine Grenache shows a deep dark ruby in colour with lifted aromas of both red and dark berry fruit aromas show prominently upfront and are supported by subtler hints of fruit loaf, cardamom and faint oak spice. Notes of morello cherries, red currants and dark plum fruit fill out the front and mid palate with texture and presence. These sit alongside refreshing mouth aromatics and pepper spice supported all the time by a fine subtle tannin frame constantly lifting and framing the wine. The result is some lovely movement through the mouth before finishing structured, clean and long as the fruit rolls out the back end.

What do we think of this?

The Edgar Schild Reserve Old Bush Vine Grenache comes from vines that have been planted more than 100 years ago in the Barossa. "Bush Vine" refers to vines that are planted in the ground directly without the use of trellis, which acts both as a support as well as a source of irrigation in most modern vineyards. The roots of a bush vine go really deep down into the soil to get at the water table and this struggle results generally in lower yields but better fruits for the wine. During the vine pull program in South Australia in the 1980s, where struggling vineyard owners voluntarily pulled their vines in return for state compensation, a lot of the older vines were destroyed. As grenache was the poor little brother to Shiraz in South Australia, these vines bore the brunt of the program. Therefore, it is less common these days to find such old grenache vineyards in the region. The Edgar Schild Reserve Bush Vine Grenache is one of the few remaining that is still priced reasonably. The wine packs a solid punch with a solid core of chocolatey and black fruit notes, supported with a hint of tabacco. The tannins are silky smooth making this wine a gentle giant. We suggest drinking this especially with Peking duck. It's amazing!