Today, we’re thrilled to offer you the incredibly delectable Penny’s Hill 2012 “The Experiment” McLaren Vale Estate Single Vineyard Grenache. This wine is loaded with flavor, but it has poise and balance as well.

James Halliday awarded this wine a stratospheric 95 points. Others called it their best wine of the year. We call the wine incredibly delicious and an amazing value.

Warm and rich, with bold aromas of baked red apple, spiced cherry candy, dried rose petals, raspberry, dried cherry, exotic hardwood, cocoa nibs and a hint of cracked pepper.

Juicy and rich and full on the palate, with dark red fruit, spice and savory elements, all melded together in a harmonious melange of goodness. Black cherry, blackberry compote, red apple, dried cranberry, leather, savory herb, baker’s chocolate, slate mineral, spice box and black pepper.

This wine is on the wine list of many a finer restaurant, at upwards of $90+ a bottle and we’ve only seen small quantities in smaller specialty bottle shops in the US. Because of our 10 year connections on the wine trade, we were able to intercept a shipment, and divert it directly to you, dear Operative.

But hurry… At 51% off, today’s wine will not last the day.

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Here’s what the wine press has to say:

95 points - James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion - “In 1996, 18 rows of 100-year-old grenache were converted onto a modern trellis as an experiment; that move, coupled with this great vintage, and the special quality of McLaren Vale grenache (as opposed to other SA regions) has resulted in this superb blend of red and black cherry fruit given texture and length by fine, savory tannins.”

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Top 100 Wine - 2015 Sydney International Wine Companion

Judges Comments:

Stuart Halliday - “Light in color. Nice weight on the palate with savory notes. The tannins are pleasing. Oak and fruit interacted well. Nice balance. With the food there was a lovely poise to the wine and good balance. Harmonious on the palate. The food gave the wine some lovely sweetness as well.”

Sue Bastian - “A mid crimson color. Red with a slightly pink rim. Quite intense camphor rosemary and violets and sweet spices and vanilla on the nose. On the palate blackcurrant and black olive and brine. Very firm mouth coating suede like tannin. The wine ever so slightly dominated this match but I’m just being persnickety.”

Cameron Douglas - “A bold bouquet for a lighter colored wine. The palate has a reserved flavor profile leaning on lighter red fruits rather than dark. Overall a sound wine with medium tannins and acidity. It’s a safe food wine. It seems a little juicy but balanced.”

Mark Robertson - “It has a subtle volatile acidity spice lift. It’s still grassy but it’s a complement of fruit here and the oak is restrained. It has a volatile acidity high note finish on the palate which is a pity as the fruit here is not all bad. It has a clean line that impresses and with food it actually looked polished. The high notes are in check and it’s lively with good balance.”

Ken Dobler - _“Expressive cherry aromas dominate the nose. The palate shows intense primary fruit drive. The rich primary fruit notes became more apparent with food.”

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2014 Royal Sydney Wine Show - Winner.

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92 points - Mike Bennie, Wine Business Magazine

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Judges Trophy - Lisa Perrotti Brown - “For my international trophy this year, I chose the Penny’s Hill 2012 ‘The Experiment’ Grenache. This wine offers effortless expression with all the red fruit generosity you need and expect from this grape and with the complex spiciness there but firmly in the background.

The tannins are notable but soft and velvety. It demonstrates a seamless use of acid that compliments the ripe fruit but is not used to prop-up over-ripe fruit. Finally, when I think of my customers I see this wine as infinitely drinkable and even moreish, while offering a real expression of time and place at a great price.

When we consider the style of wine many Australian regions can naturally offer wine consumers at an affordable price that delivers a reasonable profit margins, this is it.”