97 POINTS
Marcus Ellis - Halliday Wine Companion
From original '46 vines next to the High Sands block. The '23 grenache wines are very pale in the glass, and they are all a degree lighter in alcohol due to the cool year (one I love). A vintage like this really illustrates the kinship with the avant-garde grenache of Gredos, and with Barbaresco, and refined Etna Rosso (Girolamo Russo in particular), rather than almost anything from the Rhône. Savoury, dried red fruits, cranberry, cherry and redcurrant, warm terracotta, bergamot, potpourri, sumac, ground cinnamon, star anise, so tightly coiled, but also tensile, finely expansive in its flavour delivery. There’s tension aplenty, and it promises to unfurl over a long life. Superb.
96 POINTS
Tom Kline - Winepilot
100% Grenache taken from Block 30 – 2 hectares planted in 1946 and adjacent to the Highs Sands block. Another McLaren Vale Grenache that elicits excitement for the grape and place. This is impressive in its balance of brightness and perfume while still wonderfully cerebral and complex. Lifted aromas of sweet raspberry compote, macerated strawberry and red liquorice lead before a cut of white pepper spice acts as a savoury foil. Very pretty and seductively perfumed. There’s a warm sand note beneath which is a common note of high quality modern day McLaren Vale Grenache (almost too obvious a note given the sandy soils) some dried garrigue adding further savouriness, dried cranberry, black tea. There’s a distinct river stone minerality shooting through its centre, too. This is very pretty, though not at the expense of immense depth and intrigue. The palate is racy, mineral, cool and lifted with pretty pops of raspberry, red apple flesh, cranberry, and red rose crunched within a vein of powder-coated tannins and fresh acidity with the sand and dried herb notes lingering beneath. The finish is long and crunchy with red apple skin tension and red liquorice appeal. An ethereal Ovitelli Grenache from the cool 2023 vintage.
96 POINTS
Shanteh Wale - Winepilot
Adjacent to the herald High Sands block, the Ovitelli comes from vines planted in 1946. Fermentation occurs in Clayver ceramic eggs and on skins for 7 months, no pressings were used. Matured in ceramic for 11 months total. Dehydrated raspberries, Sweetheart cherries and wild strawberries. Crushed sandstone, saffron threads and Sichuan peppercorns. Acidity leads the charge followed by those unique Ovitelli tannins that sap and dry the palate, before floods of red berry flavours rush in again. This can only be one wine and a decidedly approachable vintage at that, some quince bitters give lift and texture to the finish of the wine. Always memorable, always a wild ride and one of a kind. Pair with Tasmania tiger prawns and red pepper sauce.
96 POINTS
Ray Jordan - Winepilot
Brilliant Grenache which comes from a block adjacent to the High Sands block and planted in 1946. It’s made using ceramic eggs with hand plunging and extended time on skins. In the end no pressings were added and no oak used. Has a thoroughly delightful mouthfeel and reveals freshness and vibrancy with a fine chalky thread adding support. Sustained finish with a lovely light red fruit lift.
Pale in appearance. The nose gives lifted aromas of wild strawberries, raspberries, sweet spices and orange peel. The palate is medium-bodied with finely integrated tannins and bright acidity, giving notes of dark cherries, dried herbs and cocoa. Exceptionally lifted and fresh.
96 POINTS
Erin Larkin - Robert Parker Wine Advocate
The 2023 Ovitelli Grenache is a marvel. The wine leads with orange peel and sarsaparilla, fennel, licorice and crushed shell. In the mouth, the tannins are sandy and very fine yet pervasive. They coat the mouth like a good Etna Rosso and give the fruit something to work with. This is bloody and gritty yet gossamer fine ... chalky doesn't quite cover it. I find this very exciting; the length really nails home the power and prowess of the region through the lens of this variety. The grapes are 100% destemmed, crushed and tipped into Clayver ceramic eggs with gentle hand plunging. The fruit remained on the skins post ferment for seven months, and no pressings were used in the wine. This matured in ceramic egg for a total of eleven months (no oak) and remained in bottle for a year prior to release. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
95 POINTS
Christina Pickard - Wine Enthusiast
Yangarra's celebrated winemaker, the late Pete Fraser, believed the best Grenache was made in the coolest years. This reviewer heartily agrees. 2023 was one of those years, and this ceramic egg-aged wine is shining. A pale cherry hue, juicy freshness abounds with succulent red fruit, peppery spice and a mineral core, gliding along on a silky mid-weight palate and structured with fine, cat's tongue tannins. True to its nickname as the “Pinot of the South”, this has all the brightness and elegance you could ask for in South Aussie Grenache, with the complexity to age gracefully for another decade.
95 POINTS
Angus Hughson - Vinous
The 2023 Grenache Ovitelli is stunning. This has wonderful purity of energetic red cherry, dried herb and subtle meaty tones. Savory complexity builds on a textural palate while holding impressive composure through to a finish of serious length accented by a twist of tannins.
