Sixty-Second Swirl by Brent Lello, Yass Valley Times Wine Columnist

The blending of multiple wine varieties into a harmonious, complex and multi-dimensional drop is more than just a bit of an art.  We sometimes see red blends that are obscure in nature, as the winemaker extracts the best of each of the varieties to produce deliciously different drops to the punting public.  But there are blends out there that are tried and true and have been reproduced over the eons.  These blends are known to just work.  Such is the combination of Grenache with Shiraz and Mourvèdre – a blend that originates from the Rhone Valley in France and more recently has found an adopted home in warmer climes such as McLaren Vale in South Australia.  So, I was delighted to come across a “GSM” produced right here in the Yass Valley region and is the focus of this week’s “swirl” – the Jeir Creek Grenache Shiraz Mourvèdre 2022.

This wine is a vibrant crimson colour in the glass with a plum-purple edge.  A swirl invigorates aromas of dark cherry and ripe plum with crushed violets, a drizzle of dark chocolate and cool climate spice notes of white pepper and cloves. The palate is vibrant and medium weighted with red and dark cherry flavours, along with a hint of earthy liquorice, buoyant acidity and fine tannins, leading to a clean, bright and lingering finish.  While this wine is plenty young, it delivers to expectations now and will continue to do so for at least the next five years.

Owner Anurag Pandey is hard at work amongst the vines 

We enjoyed our bottle with a pan-seared, grass-fed porterhouse steak and this youthful wine was up to the task.  This ripping little red would go really well with a slow-cooked leg of lamb or beef cheeks with rich tomato and red wine-based sauce.  I sourced my bottle directly from the cellar door, but you can also buy online for $34 per bottle here: https://www.jeircreekwines.com.au/

Congratulations to Jeir Creek Wines for also scooping gold at the RIVERINA WINE AWARDS 2023 Wine Shows – Open; Italian; Sweet; Riverina; and Tumbarumba

Jeir Creek Wines 2022 Grenache, Shiraz, Mourvèdre Gold