2024 Vanguardist FIELD Grenache/Syrah/Mourvèdre

INSPIRED BY THE FLORA & FAUNA THAT THRIVE IN THIS VINEYARD. THIS COLLECTION CELEBRATES TERROIR, ITS UNIQUE ECOSYSTEM & THE VIGNERON’S CRAFT.

SINGLE SITE: PFEIFFER VINEYARD, SEPPELTSFIELD, BAROSSA VALLEY

VINEYARD:
Planted circa year 2000 by the O’Callaghan (Rockford) family. Now owned by the Pfeiffer family (Leanne and Matthew) and co-managed by Vanguardist, using all organic practices. Goblet/bush vines of Grenache (50%), Syrah (30%), Mourvèdre (20%) are interplanted as a true field blend on just under 1Ha in total. At 250m altitude on soils that mostly comprises of red and yellow clay-loam.

VINTAGE OVERVIEW:
After a long and late 2023 vintage, the 2024 vintage took a very different turn. Winter brought below-average rainfall, and unfortunately, the Barossa missed out on the deep, soaking rains typically needed during winter and spring. Thankfully, December and January saw some timely rain. January temperatures were average, but February brought a dry spell and temperatures that were 2°C above the norm, which caused the fruit to ripen quickly.

HARVEST & VINIFICATION:

• Harvest Date: The 0.9ha single site vineyard was hand-picked on 17 February.
• Crushing: 100% destemmed (our only red vinification that doesn’t see whole bunch).
• Fermentation: Natural Yeast with 5 weeks total on skins.
• Elevage: The wine elevaged in seasoned french puncheons where natural malo-lactic fermentation took place soon after primary fermentation. The wine remained on gross lees for 8 months before being bottling without fining or filtration.

TASTING NOTES:
BOTANIC wines showcase the refinement and complexity of fruit and a clear expression of terroir.

• Profile & Structure: Medium + body with fine grained popping tannins. Some broody and dark characters are met with bright red and purple fruits.
• Aging: Gracefully for the next decade
• Classification: Organic (not certified), Vegan Friendly, indigenous yeast and bacteria. No acid or any other additions

Closure: AMORIM XPUR 44x24mm 
FSO2 at bottling: 29ppm
TSO2: 46ppm
pH: 3.79, TA: 5.0g/L 
Alcohol: 12.0%

______________________________________________________________________________________________

THE WINE FRONT

MIKE BENNIE: This is called the Botanic range, with a label that has a floral theme alongside the iconic ‘V’. From the Western Ridge of Barossa and yet at a wonderfully fresh alcohol level. This is a true field blend of a co-planted Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Alicante Bouchet (the latter left off the label).

Poulsard via the Barossa Valley?! Supple texture, a kind of hazy softness through the wine yet a core of cooling, blood orange acidity, some leafy herbal elements, a bit of meatiness, with some sweaty floral notes and a dash of white pepper. A succulent finish, a little tension for vibrancy. Light and yet detailed in fruit, spice, savoury, mineral notes, and shows off darkness of the region while lively and pure. 93 points, 2025-2030

GARY WALSH: From a little patch of bush vines sitting in front of the Vanguardist winery in Seppeltsfield. There won’t be a 2025 as it got frosted last year.

Pretty, bright, cherry, nuts, spice and perfume. Medium-bodied, fresh but with plenty of flavour, crunch, sappiness, and raspberries, some dark fruit and earthier things in the mix, yet it maintains brightness and carries good length. Delightful. A bit slatey in tannin with it. Such a good and positive expression of GSM(+AB) and, also, a true field blend. More like this. 93 points.

93 POINTS
THE WINE FRONT

________________________________________________________________________________________

HALLIDAY
50/30/20% grenache/shiraz/mourvèdre from the Pfeiffer vineyard in Seppeltsfield, coming off a 0.9ha block. A true field blend, this was picked as one and co-fermented; five weeks on skins, then eight months in seasoned French puncheons. Relatively pale in the glass – for this cépage, from this part of the world – this is a delightfully mid-weighted wine, clocking in at modest alcohol. There’s nothing unripe about it though. Rather, it shows what else is possible in a warm region. It’s around pinot weight, but the flavours are Barossan, just dialled back, with a rugged, earthen mineral overlay across tart black cherry, raspberry and blackberry, warmed dark spices, bracken, bay laurel and scrubby herbs, signature house tannins carrying the finish. Do not chill this! Lovely.

94 POINTS
MARUS ELLIS