2021 Vanguardist 'Rende' Grenache

The Vanguardist range represents the epitome of what we are about. Pushing the realms of standard winemaking to deliver intrigue, excitement and utmost quality...without any loss of sense of place. Ultimate dedication to the craft of viticulture and winemaking, encapsulated in a bottle – through our lens.

SINGLE SITE: GRENACHE, RENDE VINEYARD, BLEWITT SPRINGS, MCLAREN VALE

VINEYARD: 55 YEAR OLD BUSH VINE GRENACHE | FARMED ORGANICALLY BY ROBERT RENDE & VANGUARDIST

The ‘Rende’ Grenache is a single-barrel selection, released only in exceptional vintages—2021 marks just the second release in over a decade.

This dry-grown vineyard sits at 250m elevation in the northernmost pocket of Blewitt Springs, rooted in deep, unconsolidated sands over a clay base that provides excellent water-holding capacity. The old bush vines manage well without irrigation, drawing deeply through sand and silt-loam to find natural moisture.

Over the years, Michael and Robert Rende have uncovered pockets of ancient maritime shell deposits scattered throughout the site—a reminder of the vineyard’s unique geological history and its remarkable sense of place.

VITICULTURE AND VINIFICATION
Vintage 2021 will surely go down in history as one of the greats for many regions in South Australia. This is especially true for Grenache in Blewitt Springs. Abundant sunshine without extreme heat, and moderate rainfall led to near perfect ripening conditions.

This single barrel came from a 900kg ferment from the third of four picks (23rd March 2021). This happened to be in the Charlie quadrant, an area that has continually provided some of the finest fruit on the vineyard. 2/3 whole bunch was applied, and was left uncrushed in the bottom of the fermenter, with the destemmed portion of whole berries on top. Spontaneous ferment and post ferment maceration lasted five weeks, prior to gentle and long vertical basket pressing.

Elevage took place in a seasoned French oak 600L demi-muid for a total of 16 months.
The wine was then carefully decanted and bottled without fining or filtration, allowing its purity, structure, and sense of place to shine through.

751 bottles produced + 12 magnums
Closure: DIAM Origine 10 49x24.2mm
FSO2: at bottling 27ppm
TSO2: 58ppm
pH: 3.47
TA: 6.0g/L
Alcohol: 14.1%

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DOWNLOAD PREVIOUS VINTAGE TECHNICAL SHEETS:

2018 Vanguardist 'RENDE' Grenache

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HALLIDAY
From the dry-grown Rende vineyard in Blewitt Springs, this is the second release. This was made from just under a tonne of fruit from a favoured corner of the vineyard, with two-thirds whole bunch topped with whole berries; five weeks on skins, then maturation in a seasoned demi-muid for 16 months. Intensely savoury, a high-toned lift, with Barolo echoes… Cherry, cranberry and orange peel, all dried, pressed flowers, fennel seed, white pepper, star anise and warm terracotta; it’s a wine of intensely savoury interest, shapeshifting with air. It’s an impressive thing, perhaps polarising for some that are after more fruitfulness, but that’s a good part of its success. There’s little made at this address for market perceptions, and thankfully so. Excellent.

97 POINTS
MARCUS ELLIS