S.C. Pannell 'Basso' Garnacha, McLaren Vale

Stephen Pannell doesn't make typical McLaren Vale Grenache. While much of the region leans into ripe, extracted reds, Pannell—a two-time Jimmy Watson Trophy winner and one of Australia's most thoughtful winemakers—has spent the last decade refining a style built on early picking, minimal oak, and a kind of transparency that lets you taste the vineyard, not the cellar. Since opening his own winery in 2014, he's become something of a quiet counterpoint to the big-fruit orthodoxy, and Basso is where that philosophy gets its most playful expression. The name means "low" in Latin, a nod to the Little Branch Vineyard's location in Blewitt Springs, where old bush vines—around 30 years of age—grow on Maslin Beach sands over red clay shot through with ironstone. These soils are notoriously free-draining and poor, which translates to small berries, concentrated flavors, and a kind of savory mineral thread that runs through the wine. Pannell picks early to preserve acidity and prevent overripeness, then ferments with a wild yeast starter, using a portion of whole bunches to add aromatic lift and structural complexity. After around 14 days on skins, the wine is pressed to large, neutral French oak vats for 10 months, then bottled unfined and unfiltered with just a trace of sulfur. The result is a Grenache that feels more Rhône than Barossa: bright, perfumed, and medium-weight, with a core of red raspberry, red apple skin, and violets, layered with cinnamon, autumn spice, and a faint whiff of charcoal. The palate is lively and fresh, carried by red and blue berries, fine tannins that resemble black tea more than velvet, and a chewy, mineral-tinged finish with a hint of iron and earth. It's the kind of wine that works as well with grilled lamb and harissa as it does with duck confit or a charcuterie board, and it's just as happy slightly chilled on a warm evening. At Off Premise, we've found it to be one of those rare bottles that converts skeptics—proof that Australian Grenache doesn't have to be a fruit bomb to be compelling.