2022 JC's Own 'ROCK IT' GSM

95 Points - Mike Bennie, The Wine Front (On the 2020 Vintage)
A co-ferment of grenache, shiraz and mataro from three vineyards in different parishes of the Barossa. Oh, and winemaker Jaysen Collins cites some teacher of his past and rocket science as the influence for the name, by the by. Thick set and sumptuous with concentrated, dark berry and plummy fruit characters, a little tarry/charry savouriness, sweet, cinnamon spice dusted over the lot and a swish of lapsang souchong tea in there too. Bergamot-laced, pumice-texture tannins shape a plump, round and supple flow of fruit, the perfume does a fog of ripe fruit, woody spice and dark choc-liquorice scents. A lot going on in this wine, layers and layers of flavours and texture, incredible complexity and a general sense of seriousness and depth. Evocative stuff, inky and full, done so righteously.

About the Wine... FRom the Producer

GRENACHE, SHIRAZ, MATARO, CO-FERMENTED, FULL AND FIRM

I grew up across the road from a famous old school winemaker who was known to be one of the best blenders of his generation. So, for years I followed this ideal in the wines I was making. For a hands-off winemaker, you actually feel like you are doing something!

One day pondering life, the universe and everything I thought about why I hadn’t challenged this notion. Grenache and friends work well together - I’ll just pick them within a few days of each other, chuck it all in one fermenter and let the ferment rock it in its own way.

So, my theory is that the different varieties bring something complimentary, but they also bring something individual - so equal but opposite reactions in the ferment. I then remembered my high school physics and worked out it’s actually the same way a rocket works. Go figure.

TECHNICAL STUFF

VINEYARD:

• Multiple sites, multiple varieties

• Grenache, Angaston; Mataro, Light Pass; Shiraz, Greenock

WINEMAKING:

• Hand harvested within three days of each other

• Foot treaded and co-fermented in cement tanks

• Basket pressed to large oak and cement tanks for 19 months

• Bottled unfined and unfiltered