2018 d'Arenberg The Ironstone Pressings GSM

Producer: d'Arenberg 
Region: McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia 
Blend: 50% Grenache, 47% Shiraz, 3% Mourvedre 
Year: 2018 

Vinous, 94 Points  

"Opaque magenta.  A complex bouquet evokes ripe dark berries, kirsch, licorice and incense.  Sweet and expansive in the mouth, offering smoke and spice-tinged cherry-vanilla, floral pastille and fruitcake flavors that display a suave blend of richness and vivacity.  Shows sharp focus and spicy lift on the impressively long, sweet finish, which is framed by steadily building tannins." 

James Suckling, 94 Points 

"This is a sanguine-edged blend of grenache, shiraz and mourvedre. Aromas of rust, dried wood, flowers, wild herbs, red plums and cherries, as well as some almost tarry nuances. The palate has a flinty edge to the redcurrants, plums, blueberries and cherries with an expansive mid-palate emphasis. Smooth-tannin wrap. Drink or hold. Screw cap." 

Wine Enthusiast, 91 Points 

"This vintage of Ironstone is as muscular and tannic as always but perhaps due to the cool vintage, there's more elegance and layers here than in previous years. It takes time in glass to open up, slowly revealing fleshy berries, licorice, florals, peppery spice and vanillin oak aromas. The palate is tightly wound, cinched by massive, chalky tannins. But there's a lovely lift to the fruit, particularly on the finish. Drink with decanter and fatty food at hand or cellar until 2028." 

Alcohol: 14.5% 

*Price and availability in store may vary. Vintage date may differ from pictured.