d'Arenberg Grenache The Custodian 2016

This is a fuller bodied style of Grenache. There's masses of blood orange and amaro on the nose, with fleshy red fruits and savoury spice on the palate. The texture is great, with prominent rhubarb and pomegranate flavours. Nice acidity and slightly grippy tannin on the finish.

Initially cranky and uncommunicative, like Monday morning before a couple of short blacks. With air this really opens beautifully, showing smoked meats and red confection, cherries, plentiful acid and a stack of fine tannins. Properly mouthwatering and worth having with a hearty Beef cheek dish or a platter of cured meats and cheeses.

This vintage is less hard-edged than the previous one, although it still rules with an iron fist. Ripe raspberry and strawberry fruit lead on the nose, but they're somewhat blanketed in oak aromas like cola, chocolate, dried herbs and vanilla. A warm stony streak runs along the spine. The palate is rich and plush and the alcohol a little warm, wound tightly in savory, leathery tannins. Lifted acidity steers things away from syrup territory but overall, this lacks the characteristic brightness of the variety.