Wine Buy The Case The Ironstone Pressings Collection The Ironstone Pressings Collection

The Ironstone Pressings is d’Arenberg’s premium "Rhone" blend and a member of the ‘Icon’ team. The name derives from the lumps of Ironstone which litter the old vineyards at d’Arenberg. Ironstone is decomposed laterite granite and is a rusty red-brown colour. Many of the larger pieces of ironstone were cleared from the land late last century and indeed some of d’Arenberg’s buildings and local houses are built from this stone. Blends of these three varieties have been bottled and labelled under the d’Arenberg red stripe label since the late 1950’s, and in 1988 we released the first of this high-powered blend. The first few releases relied heavily on pressings (the juice from basket pressing the grape skins through the old ‘Coq’ and ‘Bromley & Tregoning’ presses), but the wine has evolved into one boasting the very best Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre with minimal pressings. Rigorous barrel selection ensures that only the best wine goes into the Ironstone Pressings. We blend these three varieties together because simply, it works. Concentrated Grenache gives lift and sweetness of fruit, the Shiraz we use contributes strong structure and spice without being too rich and the Mourvedre adds perfume, complexity and late tannins. This blend of varieties is interesting as it shows a wide spectrum of flavours as well as a seamless palate. If you wanted to wax lyrical, you could possibly see The Ironstone Pressings as a human body - the Grenache adding the ‘blood (sweetness)’, the Shiraz the flesh and the Mourvedre the bones. Not a bad analogy for such a wine.

	d'Arenberg The Ironstone Pressings Grenache/Shiraz 2002 In its youth, d’Arenberg’s ‘Ironstone Pressings’ is almost black, unusual for such a blend. Upon release, this vintage is extraordinarily fragrant but also very tight. Violets and other flowers dominate at this stage, but become more complex with a wide array of spices and emerging plums, dark cherries, cranberries and blackberries. As with previous vintages of this wine, the extreme terroir shows through due to the extraordinarily low grape yield; characters of earth, stones and dried plant material feature. With time the full spice, strawberry and liquorice and blackcurrants will develop with fresh pepper tails; at this stage, it is a mean monster with fragrant, gritty, fruit tannins that go on forever. Eventually, the Grenache and Shiraz blossom as rich, sweet, violet-like scents, with spicy based aroma, before malty, sweet, dark chocolate flavours and crunchy, chewy textured black olive, spicy ginger and long fleshy textures. The Mourvedre adds dried herbs and iodine characters that are very persistent, matched with slightly chalky tannins. The hallmark of vigorous, fine piquant tannin and acidity continue to reside with ‘The Ironstone Pressings’ after some considerable time, as have previous vintages since the late 1950’s. Price: £23.88 (Including: VAT at 17.5%)
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	d'Arenberg The Ironstone Pressings Grenache/Shiraz 2000 Currently out of stock "If d'Arry's Original is the reliable warhorse with unexpected stamina, the Ironstone Pressings (which has some Mourvedre) is a pure-bred Arab stallion. Aromas are dark, intense and syrupy, and the palate is almost alarmingly intense. Tannins are firm, the fruit is sweet blackberry, and the length is savoury and concentrated. Drink 2005 - 2015." Charles Metcalfe,Wine International Price: £26.46 (Including: VAT at 17.5%)
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