2023 S.C. Pannell 'Sunrise 100' Grenache | Blewitt Springs | 98 Points

🏆 98 Points | One of Australia's Greatest Grenaches from Century-Old Vines

The 100th Vintage from an Extraordinary Blewitt Springs Vineyard

98 Points – Halliday Wine Companion | 98 Points – The Real Review | 97+ Points – The Wine Front

2023 S.C. Pannell ‘Sunrise 100’ Grenache

Blewitt Springs, McLaren Vale, South Australia

100% Grenache | Little Branch Vineyard | Block 5

RRP $250

There are great Grenaches.

There are exceptional Grenaches.

And then there are wines that make you reconsider just how extraordinary this grape variety can be.

The 2023 S.C. Pannell Sunrise 100 belongs in that final category.

From a remarkable vineyard of century-old bush vines in Blewitt Springs, this is one of the most ambitious Grenaches ever produced in Australia.

And the critics agree.

98 POINTS – HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION

98 POINTS – THE REAL REVIEW

97+ POINTS – THE WINE FRONT

Three of Australia's most respected critics.

Three extraordinary scores.

But what makes this wine truly fascinating isn't simply its critical acclaim.

It's the vineyard.

It's the history.

And it's Stephen Pannell's extraordinary journey with Grenache.

Sunrise 100 – One Hundred Vintages in the Making

This is one of the great vineyard stories in Australian wine.

In 2021, Stephen Pannell purchased a nine-hectare vineyard in the heart of Blewitt Springs.

He named it Little Branch.

Within the property were two extraordinary blocks of ancient Grenache bush vines, planted in 1922.

One block receives the morning sun.

The other is more exposed to the warmer afternoon sun.

Pannell recognised an extraordinary opportunity.

Two blocks.

The same grape variety.

Vines of comparable age.

The same broader vineyard.

But different sunlight exposure.

What if he made two separate wines to show how much difference that exposure could make?

The result was:

SUNRISE and SUNSET.

The 2023 vintage marked the Sunrise block's 100th productive harvest.

Hence the name:

SUNRISE 100.

This is not a marketing gimmick.

It's a celebration of one of Australia's remarkable surviving old-vine vineyards.

The Vineyard – Blewitt Springs at Its Finest

The 2023 Sunrise 100 comes from Block 5 of the Little Branch Vineyard.

The ancient bush vines grow on sandy loam with ironstone and quartz, at approximately 140 metres above sea level.

The vineyard is unirrigated and managed organically.

All pruning and harvesting are completed by hand.

And the vines?

They were planted more than a century ago.

These are plants that have survived generations of Australian wine history.

They've endured droughts, heatwaves, difficult seasons and enormous changes in the wine industry.

And they're still producing fruit capable of making extraordinary wine.

There's something profoundly special about that.

Why Blewitt Springs Is So Important

Blewitt Springs has become one of the most exciting places in Australia for Grenache.

Its ancient sandy soils and surviving old vines have helped redefine what McLaren Vale Grenache can achieve.

Forget the old stereotype of Grenache being simply soft, sweet and alcoholic.

The finest Blewitt Springs examples can be:

Perfumed.

Structured.

Mineral.

Savoury.

Incredibly detailed.

And capable of ageing for decades.

At its best, Grenache from this part of McLaren Vale can combine the fragrance of Pinot Noir with the structural complexity of Nebbiolo.

That's an extraordinary combination.

And Sunrise 100 is a magnificent demonstration.

Tasting Notes – Power, Perfume and Extraordinary Precision

The 2023 Sunrise 100 is a wonderfully complex Grenache.

The aromatics reveal:

• Dark cherry and raspberry

• Dried cranberry

• Pomegranate

• Rose petals and rosehip

• Bergamot

• Earl Grey tea

• Cardamom and exotic spice

• White pepper

• Dried herbs

• Tobacco leaf

• Subtle dark chocolate

• Ironstone and earthy mineral notes

But the most impressive element isn't simply the fruit.

It's the structure.

The palate has beautiful concentration, yet there's nothing excessive about it.

The fruit is layered and tightly woven.

Fine, persistent tannins provide remarkable definition.

Fresh acidity gives the wine energy and drive.

And the finish seems to continue long after you've swallowed.

Perfume. Concentration. Precision. Tension. Extraordinary length.

This is Grenache at an entirely different level.

 

Stephen Pannell – One of Australia's Great Grenache Visionaries

Few Australian winemakers have done more to change the way we think about Grenache than Stephen Pannell.

His career includes significant experience at Hardys Tintara, where he developed a fascination with the variety.

At a time when much of Australia's wine industry was focused on enormous, heavily extracted reds, Pannell was exploring something different.

He wanted Grenache with the perfume, elegance and structural finesse he admired in great Pinot Noir.

That philosophy helped transform the reputation of McLaren Vale Grenache.

And over the following decades, he became one of the most influential voices in Australia's modern Grenache movement.

But there was one thing he still wanted.

His own extraordinary old-vine Grenache vineyard.

In 2021, he finally found it.

Little Branch.

And Sunrise 100 represents the culmination of that ambition.

One of Australia's Most Remarkable Grenache Neighbourhoods

Here's something that makes the Little Branch vineyard even more interesting.

Stephen Pannell has described its position among some of Blewitt Springs' most celebrated Grenache sites.

Nearby are vineyards associated with:

High Sands

MMAD

Trott

and Brini.

This is an extraordinary concentration of Grenache heritage.

Some of Australia's most sought-after Grenaches come from this relatively small part of McLaren Vale.

And Little Branch sits right among them.

For anyone fascinated by terroir, that's an incredibly compelling story.

Winemaking – Letting the Vineyard Speak

The 2023 Sunrise 100 was harvested on 20 March.

The grapes were destemmed, with whole berries transferred into a seasoned 4,000-litre French oak fermenter.

Fermentation was managed with gentle pump-overs.

The wine was pressed on 31 March, then settled before being transferred into seasoned French oak puncheons for malolactic fermentation and maturation.

There was no need for extravagant new oak.

No need to overwhelm the fruit.

No need to manufacture concentration.

The vineyard had already provided everything required.

The wine was bottled on 4 July 2023 without fining or filtration.

The result is a remarkably direct expression of its ancient vines and Blewitt Springs origins.

Sunrise Versus Sunset – A Fascinating Comparison

One of the most exciting things about this project is that Stephen Pannell produces two separate Grenaches from the Little Branch vineyard.

SUNRISE comes from the block receiving more morning sunlight.

SUNSET comes from the block exposed to warmer afternoon sunlight.

The difference is fascinating.

Sunrise generally emphasises:

Precision.

Fine structure.

Bright fruit.

Tension.

Mineral definition.

Sunset tends towards:

Darker fruit.

Greater flesh.

Broader texture.

Powerful concentration.

Neither is necessarily better.

They are two expressions of the same extraordinary vineyard.

And tasting them side by side is a wonderful demonstration of how much vineyard exposure can influence wine.

Cellaring – A Grenache for the Next Decade and Beyond

This is a wine with genuine long-term potential.

The tannin structure, acidity and fruit concentration suggest it will develop beautifully with careful cellaring.

Suggested drinking window: 2026–2037+.

If you're opening a bottle now, decant it.

Give it time.

This is a tightly structured, complex Grenache that benefits from exposure to air.

But if you have the patience, putting a few bottles away could be enormously rewarding.

With age, expect the youthful red fruits and florals to evolve towards dried flowers, tea, savoury spice, earthy complexity and deeper mineral notes.

Food Pairings

This is serious Grenache with the structure to handle substantial food.

Perfect with:

• Roast duck

• Lamb shoulder

• Chargrilled lamb cutlets

• Venison

• Slow-roasted pork

• Mushroom and truffle dishes

• Beef cheeks

• Wood-fired vegetables

• Aged hard cheeses

I'd particularly love this with roast duck or slow-cooked lamb.

The fine tannins, acidity and savoury complexity would make a magnificent combination.

Why We Love It

Because this is one of those wines that represents something genuinely important in Australian wine.

A century-old vineyard.

A remarkable site in Blewitt Springs.

A winemaker who has spent decades championing Grenache.

And a wine that demonstrates just how extraordinary this variety can become.

Look at what you're getting:

2023 Vintage

100% Grenache

Little Branch Vineyard – Block 5

Vines Planted in 1922

100th Productive Vintage

Dry-Grown, Organically Managed Bush Vines

Hand Harvested

Matured in Seasoned French Oak

Bottled Unfined and Unfiltered

98 Points – Halliday Wine Companion

98 Points – The Real Review

97+ Points – The Wine Front

And:

RRP $250

This is not an everyday Grenache.

It's a wine for collectors.

For lovers of Australia's greatest old-vine vineyards.

For people who appreciate the extraordinary relationship between grape variety, soil, climate and winemaker.

And for anyone who wants to experience Grenache at its absolute finest.

2023 S.C. PANNELL SUNRISE 100 GRENACHE

Blewitt Springs, McLaren Vale, South Australia

98 POINTS – HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION

98 POINTS – THE REAL REVIEW

97+ POINTS – THE WINE FRONT

RRP $250

Ancient vines. One hundred vintages. Extraordinary perfume. Profound structure. Remarkable length.

ONE OF AUSTRALIA'S GREAT GRENACHES FROM ONE OF ITS MOST IMPORTANT MODERN WINEMAKERS.

If you love the finest old-vine Grenaches of McLaren Vale, or the structure and complexity of great Burgundy and Barolo, this is a wine you need to experience.