Winery & Vintage Info
Robert Oatley Wines was founded as a family winery in 2006 by the late Robert (Bob) Oatley AO BEM. Today the family business is led by Bob’s eldest son Sandy Oatley who, together with his father, brother and sister, planted the first Oatley family vineyards in the late 1960’s.
The Robert Oatley Signature Series draws on a remarkable portfolio of vineyards nurtured by the winemaking talent of Larry Cherubino showcasing Australia’s most successful wine styles and regions. Bob Oatley’s mantra was that all wines should be a “darned good drink”, and the high quality Signature Series, which the Grenache G-21 is a part of, delivers immediate appeal, with satisfying flavours over an elegant frame. Each wine embodies the grape varietal and region in which it was grown.
McLaren Vale is Australia’s foremost region for Grenache, where it was historically largely used for fortified wines and as a workhorse blending variety, frequently with Shiraz and Mourvedre/Mataro. Full-bodied examples rival Australia’s greatest Shiraz wines and this particular style, which highlights the variety’s inherent deep red fruit characters, is fast gaining in popularity.
Grapes from the southern end of McLaren Vale were fermented on skins in a combination of open and closed fermenters. Matured for a short period in tank prior to bottling. This is an unwooded red wine, similar in weight and body to a young Pinot Noir, Tempranillo or Sangiovese. It should be enjoyed at least lightly chilled, which will allow its lifted aromatics and bright, breezy personality to shine.
