New to Grenache? Grenache has been around since the beginning of Australia’s winegrowing history but it has only recently begun to break out and go solo playing an integral role in many red blends and single-varietal styles with the McLaren Vale and the Barossa Valley leading the charge. These are full of richness and intensity and this StarDozen is a great place to start your Grenache journey with 3 bottles each from 4 renowned producers. All four wines have received 93 Points or better from Australia's leading wine critics which serves to highlight the tremendous quality.

The StarDozen consists of the following:

3 bottles      Penley Estate Grenache 2022
3 bottles      Ulithorne Singularis McLaren Vale Grenache 2024
3 bottles      Hither & Yon Sand Road Grenache 2024
3 bottles      JC’s Own Ferine Grenache 2021

Penley Estate Grenache 2022
Fruit is from McLaren Flat and the anticipation of what Kate Goodman and her team can do with the variety is palpable. A wine of translucent red berries, redcurrants gripping to the stem, cherries and tea tree. There is a raspberry confection note, incredibly subtle, and some rose tea. A fine wine made in a mild vintage. A joy of grainy tannins, smeared with cumin spice. Acidity holds soprano keys and shapes the wine to be lithe and slinky. It’s sexy in every way possible; a wine for crunching through Korean barbecue meats with a bit of char. Date: Feb 2026; Drink to: 2030; Alcohol: 14%; Price: $75.00; Rating: 95 Points; James Halliday Wine Companion

Ulithorne Singularis McLaren Vale Grenache 2024
Gosh, this is my type of grenache. The brilliant but light colour is pure grenache. Then the aromas of rose petals, soft earth and bright cherry deliver another dimension. The light-bodied palate has a brilliance and purity emanating. Love the focused, elegant palate structure And the fine silky mouth feel. Yes, this one is for me. Drink to: 2025-2037; Alcohol: 14.5%; Price: $175.00; Rating: 96 Points; Ray Jordan

Hither & Yon Sand Road Grenache 2024
Medium-deep red with a faint tint of purple; the aromas are shy and offer dried herb and dried cherry nuances with an overtone of dry earth. It's full bodied and firm, the tannins coating the mouth's interior and completing a seriously full-bodied, ample wine with abundant drying tannins and a sense of gravitas. This is good now and will reward some cellaring. Date Tasted: December 2025; Drink: 2025 to 2037; Alcohol: 14%; Price: $33.00; Rating: 95 Points; Huon Hooke; The Real Review

JC’s Own Ferine Grenache 2021
Shy of medium weight, chewy, somewhat juicy, a little grippy, blasts that cherry juice, slaps the tastebuds with exotic spice and finishes with a minerally, briny, alpine herb lift. Yum. Huge in perfume, floral and pretty, a bit meaty, a bit jubey, lots of fun. The wine stinks of a good time and delivers a deliciousness and drinkability. Grenache, lighter, brighter, vivacious and yet with tension and energy. What a brilliant thing to drink. Tasted: Aug 2022; Alcohol: 14.5%; Price: $33; Closure: Cork; Drink: 2022-2025; Rated: 93 Points; Mike Bennie; The Wine Front