From a vineyard in McLaren Vale that was replanted to Chambourcin from Shiraz thirty years ago – the blend is Chambourcin (88%) and Graciano (12%). An inky but bright magenta-purple in the glass. A definite and bewildering disconnect from the nose to the palate – aromatically sweet, jammy and chocolate-laden, but then super-dry, tight and intense as you taste. Sharper flavours of redcurrant, cherry and pomegranate collide with mulberry and boysenberry ripeness, producing a distinctive sweet/sour sensation. There’s bags of tannin, a tart acidity, a smoky cigar element, and some gummy green notes of mint and tomato leaf. And it’s sparkling! Quite a ride. 88pts
D’Arenberg ‘The Peppermint Paddock’ Sparkling red NV
