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The Tenacity Winemaker’s Blend 2016 is made by Two Hands Wines from old vine Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, and Mourvedre farmed on vineyards in McLaren Vale, South Australia. Two Hands produced the WInemaker’s Blend, but it is not listed on their website. There isn’t any information about Tenacity anywhere, not from the winery or the distributor, it seems it is an orphan wine. Which can be why I found a wine that sells online for $16 to $18 on an end-of-the-bin-sale for under $10. Which is the beauty of end-of-the-bin-sales, they are interesting wines that you are not interested in at their old selling price but are absolute gems at 40% to 50% off.
Two Hands Wines is a top-notch winery producing wines from the McLaren Vale and Barossa Valley regions of South Australia. McLaren Vale is located near the city of Adelaide and is known as an outstanding growing region for all 4 of the grapes in the blend. McLaren Vale has had vineyards sine 1838 and has an abundance of old vine vineyards. There is no legal definition of old vines, the informal standard is typically 40 years or more. Old grapevines, because of their advanced age struggle to get the nutrients from the roots to the grapes. They produce fewer grapes and the struggle produced complexity in the grapes that few younger vineyards can match. The alcohol content is 14.5%.
The Tasting Notes
The color is opaque black cherry red. The nose is rich and smokey, there is ripe red berries, port wine, baking spice, fudge brownies, blackberry, licorice, and a hint of BBQ smoke. The Tenacity Winemaker’s blend starts with a smooth mouthfeel, then shows some rough and ready edges as the flavors unfold. it starts with jammy raspberry and plum, along with a chocolate-covered cherry. The mid-palate adds the rough edges some orange zest, a slap of herbs, a slight pull from the tannins, and non-sweet Dr. Pepper. There is a lot of rich fruit flavors in this blend. The tannins make their presence known but don’t get in the way. The acidity is ample enough to allow the flavors to unfold. As for pairing, this is a big Red wine, steaks, stews, BBQ, it has the horsepower to stand-up to big, meaty dishes. The finish is full, but surprisingly soft, and does last.
The Tenacity Winemaker’s Blend 2016 is made by Two Hands Wines from old vine Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, and Mourvedre farmed on vineyards in McLaren Vale, South Australia. Two Hands produced the WInemaker’s Blend, but it is not listed on their website. There isn’t any information about Tenacity anywhere, not from the winery or the distributor, it seems The Summary
- The Tenacity Winemaker’s Blend 2016 reminds of those popular Australian wines from 10 years ago, only this blend is not as over-the-top as many of those wines. This Red blend shows some solid control and restraint, while still being delicious.
- Watch for end-of-the-bin-sales, I don’t know if you can easily find this wine in the shops, but there are bargains to be had for the smart shopper.
