Eperosa SGG 1858 Grenache 2023

Eperosa SGG 1858 Grenache 2023
$70, 14% alcohol, cork, Barossa Valley.

The Barossa and Eden valleys are being nudged, wine by wine, into new territory – and this release is one of the wines doing the nudging.

It's light in colour and light on entry, but don't be fooled: what it's really trading in is complexity and persistence, which in wine terms is the equivalent of carrying yourself well and knowing it. Smoked meats, red cherries, redcurrants, brick dust and twiggy herb notes run through it, along with an orange rind character that leans almost negroni-like – though listing flavours here feels beside the point, because the whole comfortably outruns the parts. There's tannin, there's lightness, but above all there's conviction. This is a wine that could deliver the half-time address – and have you believing the game of life is there to be won. 96 points – Campbell Mattinson.