PAX ÆTERNA* Single Vineyard Barossa Old Vine Grenache

2022

92pts "A floral nose of rose hip, sliced strawberries and pitted red cherries. Full-bodied with silky tannins. Juicy and fresh with the floral character continuing onto the palate, accompanied by some attractive leafy undertones" - James Suckling Review

2021

92pts "This release is fresh, delicate, laced with dry spice and tannin, juicy with fruit, and high in drinkability. It feels authentic because it is. Raspberry characters with a glow to them. Earth notes inlaid. Everything on firm/sure tippy toes, ballerina-like, elevated and exact. There’s texture here too, warm texture, silk fresh from the ironing board, treated right. A lovely drink, it is." - Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front

91pts "Velvety layers of deep raspberry and pomegranate fruit with rose petal heart, sage leaf, green peppercorn and a wink of a dark savoury edge. Fine and precise, balanced finish with brightness and clarity. Nothing too complex, this is a juicy, joyous and easily consumed wine!" - Regan Drew, Vinonotebook

2020

91pts "A bold, rich, raspberry-fruited style that has round and easygoing, fleshy texture. The palate has generous raspberries and red plums. Approachable and easygoing." - James Suckling Review

2019

92pts "Bright raspberries and some florals here with a fresh, intense impression on the nose, leading to a ripe, supple palate that has plenty of ripe, smooth, raspberry and red-plum flavor. Fresh, flavorful and fun style." - James Suckling Review

90pts "Old vine grenache. 27% whole bunches. Fresh and free-flowing. Emphasis on raspberry/redcurrant flavour with earthen spice and clove whispered through. Light on its feet. Delicious to drink." - The Wine Front

91pts "Medium to light purple/red colour, with a youthful, slightly sweaty and somewhat raw strawberry, raspberry aroma. The wine is medium-bodied and easy on the palate, rich and gentle and finishing with some firmness. A very pleasant wine for what it is: a lighter-weighted, balanced, fruit-forward red for earlier drinking. The light colour is deceptive. There's a hint of carbonic maceration and this confers a passing resemblance to Beaujolais. Delicious. (27% whole-bunch fermented)" - Huon Hooke, The Real Review

2018

92pts "I *think* this is the Pax Aeterna, but never saw the bottle. Is listed as straight Grenache, so it's likely. Light and fresh, strawberry, floral, spicy, slightly smoky and reductive. Fine and red fruited, soft but balanced acidity, tastes (and feels) like whole bunch spice here, with subtle stickiness, light emery tannin, and a savory finish, which is tasty, though not especially long. Stylish." - Gary Walsh, Wine Front

2017

90/100 "83yo vines from the Kevin Schild Vineyard at Light Pass, fermented with 33% whole bunches. Light and bright to the point of rose; strawberry/raspberry/red cherry flavours and the barest hint of tannins. I suspect it didn't meet up with any form of oak during its vinification." - James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion

92pts "Perfumed and pretty to kick off - then the meat on bones. It's a plush grenache, a little more meat on bones, but has a savoury lick and a freshness underlying that assists drinkability. Feels like quality from the get go. Great drink" - Mike Bennie, WBM

92pts "Grown by Kevin Schild at Light Pass in the northern Barossa. 33% whole bunches. Unfined and unfiltered. Cloudy in a good way. Freeflowing and tense at once. An unfettered wine, free in its expression, ripped with spice and cranberry, anise and general woody spices. There’s a gentle twigginess here but it washes straight through. Energy. Crunch. Almost crisp. The red wine equivalent of frost. Have to admire it." - Campbell Mattinson, Wine Front

Bronze Medal "'I like this' said team leader Jan Konetzki: 'there's red, ripe fermented fruit on the nose with hints of dill and fresh herbs. The palate is dry but juicy, fresh and vibrant.'" - Sommelier Wine Awards UK

2016

93/100 "Of all things, a nouveau-style made from 82yo vines with 25% whole bunches in the fermentation, so it adds up to a light, bright, juicy and youthful drink, yet distinctive. Sweet raspberry and red licorice, woodsy spices with lightweight tannins and hits the right note." - Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion

Hot 100 SA Wines feature "Beautifully lithe and supple. Finely framed, poised and precise." - Adelaide Review

93pts "Bang on. Both fresh and characterful. Not at all overdone – indeed it’s only light- to medium-weight – and yet there’s enough power to the fruit to make an impression. It’s made to be fresh and accessible and yet it pays homage to the age of the vines; it lets tension in through the front door. Sand, red and black cherry, graphite, cloves and rusty dry spices. A leathery, licoricey kick to the finish. Just enough tannin. Poise, presentation, the lot." - Campbell Mattinson, Wine Front