Thiele Road Grenache 2004, Schwarz Wine Company
20th December 2007
They have been making wine in South Australia’s Barossa Valley since the 1830s. Jason Schwarz, founder and proprietor of the Schwarz Wine Company, made his first Thiele Road Grenache in 2002, but he is very much part of the tradition, being the son and grandson of Barossa Valley growers.
Mr Schwarz considers himself an artisan. His approach to winemaking style involves, as he puts it, “purposely low intervention. I like the fruit to speak for itself.” It certainly does that, in resounding tones. His Thiele Road Grenache is cranberry-coloured, with a nose of minerals, bark and cooked blackberries. Its flavours are dense and lush; they include cloves, licorice and a hint of sumac. The finish is good, as is the wine’s overall proportion, in spite of its 15 percent alcohol.
Some people find such extremes of strength and concentration oppressive. I am not one of them. Now and again a huge, macho wine is ideal, particularly with barbecued steak. Of course not every evening should be spent in the company of a muscle-bound Australian. At other times only a Burgundy or a Chianti will do. The important thing is to have the choice.
That is why I sympathise with those who fear that Old World wine is becoming as concentrated and beefy as its New World counterpart. They say this is happening largely to satisfy the personal tastes of the absurdly influential US wine critic Robert Parker (who, not surprisingly, is rather keen on Mr Schwarz’s Grenache). It would indeed be a tragedy if ancient French traditions of understated, nuanced wine were abandoned merely to please Mr Parker and his readership of obedient plutocrats, and if the only choice left to us was between different varieties of atomic-powered fruit juice. But I doubt that this will happen.
I think something more interesting is going on. Yes, some Old World wines are acquiring New World traits, but the reverse is also true. Winemakers from Virginia to New Zealand are noticing that wines from one plot of land taste different from those only a few yards away, and that the difference is worth exploiting. In other words, they are discovering terroir. Before long, I suspect, they will also discover the possibilities afforded by lower alcohol and tempered fruit. Who knows? Perhaps twenty years from now Mr Schwarz’s Grenache will weigh in at a mere 12% and we will all be enchanted by its evanescent perfume and delicate shadings of taste.
The 2004 Thiele Road Grenache costs £15.00 in the UK, $28 in the US.
