2023 S.C. Pannell Smart Vineyard Grenache | 97 Halliday | 97 Wine Advocate

🏆 97 Points | One of McLaren Vale's Great Single-Vineyard Grenaches

From the Historic Smart Vineyard in Clarendon – One of McLaren Vale's Most Distinctive Grenache Sites

Steve Pannell + Old-Vine Clarendon Grenache = Something Seriously Special

97 Points – Halliday Wine Companion | 97 Points – The Wine Advocate | 96 Points – JamesSuckling.com

Clarendon, McLaren Vale, South Australia

97 Points – Halliday Wine Companion

97 Points – The Wine Advocate

96 Points – JamesSuckling.com

RRP $80

There are few winemakers who have done more to redefine modern Australian Grenache than Steve Pannell.

And Smart Vineyard Grenache is one of the wines that shows exactly why.

This comes from the celebrated Smart Vineyard at Clarendon, high in the hills on the eastern edge of McLaren Vale.

It's a very different environment from the deep sands of Blewitt Springs.

Higher elevation.

Rockier soils.

Cooler conditions.

And a completely different expression of Grenache.

The result is a wine of extraordinary perfume, intensity and structure.

And the critics agree.

97 POINTS – HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION

97 POINTS – THE WINE ADVOCATE

96 POINTS – JAMES SUCKLING

Three major critics.

Three outstanding scores.

This is serious Australian Grenache.

Tasting Notes

The 2023 Smart Vineyard Grenache combines beautiful red-fruit purity with the savoury, spicy and mineral personality that makes Clarendon so distinctive.

Expect:

• Wild raspberry and red cherry
• Strawberry and cranberry
• Blood orange
• Rose petals and dried flowers
• Dried herbs
• Pepper and exotic spice
• Earth and crushed rock
• Fine, savoury tannins

There's beautiful concentration through the palate, but this isn't about weight.

It's about energy and structure.

The fruit is bright and beautifully defined, framed by savoury spice, dried herbs and a distinctive mineral edge.

Fine tannins spread across the palate, providing grip and length without overwhelming the fruit.

Perfumed.

Spicy.

Mineral.

Structured.

Seriously long.

This is Grenache with a genuine sense of place.

Critical Acclaim

97 Points – Halliday Wine Companion

An exceptional score for one of Steve Pannell's benchmark single-vineyard Grenaches.

The 2023 shows the combination of perfume, concentration, fine tannin and savoury complexity that has made Smart Vineyard one of the most distinctive Grenache expressions in the S.C. Pannell portfolio.

97 Points – The Wine Advocate

Another huge endorsement.

The Wine Advocate's 97-point rating places the 2023 Smart Vineyard firmly among the elite Australian Grenaches of the vintage.

This is a wine built around purity and perfume, but with the structure and mineral drive to develop beautifully in bottle.

96 Points – JamesSuckling.com

James Suckling adds another outstanding 96-point score, reinforcing the extraordinary consistency of critical opinion around this wine.

97 + 97 + 96 POINTS.

That's a serious set of numbers.

About the Smart Vineyard

The Smart Vineyard is located at Clarendon, in the elevated hills on the eastern side of McLaren Vale.

And this matters.

Clarendon is very different from the warmer coastal plains traditionally associated with McLaren Vale.

The elevation brings cooler conditions and significant temperature variation.

The soils are rocky and ancient.

The vines have to work.

And Grenache responds beautifully.

The resulting wines can combine the generosity of McLaren Vale fruit with:

Freshness.

Spice.

Minerality.

Structure.

Extraordinary perfume.

It's one of the reasons Smart Vineyard Grenache has developed such a strong following.

This isn't Grenache that could come from anywhere.

It tastes like Clarendon.

Steve Pannell & the Grenache Revolution

Steve Pannell has become one of the defining winemakers of Australia's modern Grenache movement.

For decades, Australian Grenache was often treated as a blending component or pushed toward rich, powerful styles.

Pannell saw something different.

He saw the potential for Grenache to be:

Perfumed.

Transparent.

Savoury.

Fine-boned.

Site-specific.

The emphasis shifted away from sheer ripeness and oak toward vineyard expression, freshness and tannin.

And wines like Smart Vineyard Grenache demonstrate just how far Australian Grenache has come.

This isn't trying to be Shiraz.

It's not trying to overwhelm you with power.

It's trying to show you a vineyard.

And that's much more interesting.

Smart Vineyard vs Little Branch

This is where things get really exciting.

Taste the 2023 Smart Vineyard Grenache alongside the 2023 Little Branch Grenache.

Same producer.

Same grape.

Same vintage.

Same broader region.

Completely different vineyard.

Little Branch comes from the sandy soils of Blewitt Springs and gives you incredible perfume, finesse and fine sandy tannins.

Smart Vineyard comes from elevated Clarendon and brings a more mineral, savoury and structured personality.

That's what makes these wines fascinating.

This is terroir.

And it's exactly why McLaren Vale Grenache has become one of the most exciting categories in Australian wine.

Food Pairings

Beautiful with:

• Roast duck
• Chargrilled lamb
• Porchetta
• Slow-roasted pork
• Moroccan lamb
• Chargrilled quail
• Mushroom dishes
• Charcuterie
• Wood-fired pizza
• Aged hard cheeses

And like great Grenache generally:

Don't serve it too warm.

Give it 20–30 minutes in the fridge before serving and let that incredible perfume come alive.

Cellaring

The 2023 Smart Vineyard Grenache is already wonderfully expressive, but there's plenty of structure underneath the fruit.

Drink now through 2035+

Young, expect vibrant raspberry, cherry, strawberry, rose, blood orange and spice.

With bottle age, those primary characters should gradually develop toward dried flowers, savoury herbs, leather, earth and complex spice.

But this is one of those rare wines that offers both:

Immediate drinking pleasure and serious cellaring potential.

Why We Love It

Because this is another brilliant example of just how good Australian Grenache has become.

And look at the critical consensus:

97 HALLIDAY

97 WINE ADVOCATE

96 JAMES SUCKLING

From one of the most distinctive Grenache vineyards in Clarendon.

Made by one of the winemakers who has helped lead the modern Australian Grenache revolution.

And most importantly:

It tastes like where it comes from.

That's what great single-vineyard wine should do.

Little Branch shows you Blewitt Springs.

Smart Vineyard shows you Clarendon.

Same winemaker.

Same variety.

Same vintage.

Two completely different expressions of McLaren Vale Grenache.

And Smart Vineyard is an absolute superstar.

👉 If you're serious about Australian Grenache, the 2023 S.C. Pannell Smart Vineyard belongs in your cellar. Secure your bottles while available.