Kilikanoon Prodigal Grenache 2012

An aged Aussie Grenache from Cambridge Wine Merchants

Hot-climate Grenache is one of the world's most widely planted red wine grapes and is often blended with Syrah and Mourvèdre - the classic "GSM blend".

Low in acid and tannin, not suited for oak aging (it oxidises easily), mature varietal Grenache is something of a rarity. Which makes this example all the more interesting; eight years old now, made from sixty year-old vines and aged in old oak.

Kilikanoon Prodigal Grenache, Clare Valley, 2012 (£22, Cambridge Wine Merchants) tar, leather, soft red fruits and spice, complex and evolved with supple, old-vine concentration, freshness and well-integrated, very fine tannins.

Fully mature and drinking nicely now, but opens up with some aeration.

Good.

Match with darker game, such as roast duck.