The S.C. Pannell Little Branch Grenache is a medium-bodied, highly structured, and exceptional estate red wine from the Blewitt Springs sub-region of McLaren Vale, South Australia. Sourced from a prized vineyard purchased by Stephen and Fiona Pannell, this modern masterpiece is grown on high-altitude Maslin sands peppered with ironstone, delivering incredible structural precision, poise, and natural acidity.
- Aromas: Fragrant and precise, bursting with wild raspberry, strawberries, kirsch, and fresh rose petals, intricately woven with cinnamon, clove, and dried Mediterranean herbs.
- Palate: Bright and succulent, offering a pure wave of red currant, bitter red aperitivo, and sour cherry, driving onto a persistent line of sandy, mineral tannins.
- Style: An impactful, terroir-driven Grenache shaped by Steve Pannell’s love for fine Italian structures, beautifully balancing high aromatic energy with an immense, protective force field of noble tannin.
- Winemaking: Hand-picked estate fruit is wild-fermented in steel with a small portion of whole clusters, then raised gently in a large, old French oak vat with no shortcuts or fining.
- Cellaring: Deceptively approachable for its explosive primary energy, but its structural density and low pH spine ensure it will cellar spectacularly for 10-plus years.
- Food Pairing: Phenomenal with upscale Asian dishes like Cantonese roast goose, char siu pork belly, five-spice slow-braised beef cheeks, or a rich wild mushroom stir-fry with XO sauce.
This wine is a total secret agent that takes Blewitt Springs' pretty, high-altitude rose perfume and hides a massive structure right up its sleeve. It tricks you into expecting a soft, elegant little red, but then it hits you with an incredible force field of sandy tannins and bitter-almond Italian swagger that leaves the finish completely relentless.