Vanguardist V Grenache Gris/ Blanc 2025

95 POINTS

Marcus Ellis - Halliday Wine Companion

Michael Corbett has had near a decade of vintages in the Rhône, which informs the dominant varietal mix in the portfolio, if his interpretations are profoundly individual. A new wine, from Vine Vale, with vines grafted in '23; 62/38% grenache gris/grenache blanc. It’s a sunnier expression than the Vanguardist norm, but that’s a varietal thing, and perhaps more blanc than gris. Up front, yellow orchard fruits – pear, peach, apple – then the detail kicks in with fresh, soft fennel seeds and pollen, chamomile flower, green almond, roasted hazelnut skin, citron pith and preserved lemon. A lemon-barley-water texture, salivating, savoury. An excellent debut, and you can feel the potential for greater heights.

94 POINTS

Gary Walsh - The Wine Front

62% Grenache Gris. 38% Grenache Blanc. Half fermented in stainless steel, the other half in Hungarian anfora. Some aged in new Austrian foudre, the rest in stainless steel. Pear, white nectarine, white flower, a rock pool/marine sort of thing, toasted hazelnut, spice. Light, fine chalkiness, saline, pulls more citrus with some nutty things, has some gloss but keeps itself tight, finishes bright and gently salty with excellent length. Such a great drink. Balance is all just so.

Erin Larkin - Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2025 Grenache Gris Grenache Blanc hails from a single site in Vine Vale, in Barossa Valley—the Rohrlach vineyard. Aromatically, the wine is restrained, leading with notions of white flowers, chalk and soft leafy herbs. The palate is defined by ample fruit weight and textural width, neither of which feel overwrought; rather, this is an elegant and refined iteration of these Southern Rhône varieties. The fruit was foot stomped and held on the skins for three hours before pressing. Wild fermentation occurred in Hungarian amphora and stainless steel. The wine went through full malolactic fermentation, then was blended and matured for a further seven months, the majority in new Austrian foudre and the balance in stainless steel—one presumably to enhance and support textural complexity, the other to protect freshness and purity. This is very good indeed. 12.2% alcohol, sealed under Diam Origine.