The Consensus of Excellence

97, 96, 96, 96+, 95. The 2024 E. J. McDougall McLaren Vale Old Vine Grenache — reviewed independently by five of the world’s most respected Australian wine critics.

CRITICAL SCORECARD

97 pts  ·  Erin Larkin  ·  Robert Parker Wine Advocate  ·  March 2026

96 pts  ·  Andrew Caillard MW  ·  The Vintage Journal  ·  May 2026

96 pts  ·  Nick Ryan  ·  The Australian Weekend Magazine  ·  May 2026

96+ pts  ·  Marcus Ellis  ·  Halliday Wine Companion  ·  2026

95 pts  ·  Huon Hooke  ·  The Real Review  ·  23 May 2026

Five critics. Five independent assessments. Scores ranging from 95 to 97 points. When Erin Larkin of Robert Parker Wine Advocate reviewed the 2024 E. J. McDougall McLaren Vale Old Vine Grenache in March 2026 — the first publication globally to do so — she scored it 97 points and called it “a wine of place, first and foremost.” Four further critics followed over the next ten weeks. Each reviewed the wine independently. Each arrived at the same conclusion.

The wine is from a single grand cru site of the Blewitt Springs, planted in 1939 on sandy gravel soils. Hand harvested, optically sorted, fermented whole bunch in concrete vats, aged 11 months in seasoned French foudre and 16 months in bottle before release. Total production: 2,952 bottles. 

Erin Larkin  ·  Robert Parker Wine Advocate  ·  97 Points

Robert Parker Wine Advocate was the first publication in the world to review the 2026 E. J. McDougall collection. Erin Larkin, the Wine Advocate’s lead Australia critic, selected E. J. McDougall as a standout highlight in her April 2026 Australian round-up. Her 97-point assessment established the critical benchmark that four subsequent reviews have affirmed.

“Inherently and unmistakably Australian.”
— Erin Larkin  ·  97 pts  ·  Robert Parker Wine Advocate

“This is an excellent wine here.”
— Erin Larkin  ·  97 pts  ·  Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Larkin’s descriptors: perfumed with rose petals, graphite, sweet tobacco, and tapenade. Sweet paprika dolce, pink peppercorns, and cranberry-black cherry complexity. The hallmark is restraint, freshness, and detail.

Andrew Caillard MW  ·  The Vintage Journal  ·  96 Points

Andrew Caillard MW is one of Australia’s most authoritative wine voices and one of only a handful of Masters of Wine with deep experience across both Australian and international fine wine markets. His 96-point assessment in The Vintage Journal focused on the wine’s structural precision and mineral character.

“Supple and minerally with bangs of primary fruit.
— Andrew Caillard MW  ·  96 pts  ·  The Vintage Journal

Caillard’s descriptors: attractive strawberry pastille and red cherry aromatics with musky plum and hints of Americano. Silky and expressive palate. Loose-knit chalky textures with excellent mid-palate viscosity. Aniseed notes giving lift and length. From 1939 and 1942 Blewitt Springs plantings.

Nick Ryan  ·  The Australian Weekend Magazine  ·  96 Points

Nick Ryan writes for The Australian Weekend Magazine, one of Australia’s most widely read broadsheet weekend supplements. His review framed the wine within the defining characteristics of the Blewitt Springs sub-region: the tension, the energy, the specific aromatic identity that sandy gravel soils and nearly 90-year-old vines produce.

“A wine of tension and energy.”
— Nick Ryan  ·  96 pts  ·  The Australian Weekend Magazine

Ryan’s descriptors: red cherry, wild raspberry, oolong tea, and dry sage. Whole bunch fermentation in concrete vats. Sleek, contemporary McLaren Vale Grenache from nearly 90-year-old Blewitt Springs vines.

Marcus Ellis  ·  Halliday Wine Companion  ·  96+ Points

The Halliday Wine Companion is Australia’s most comprehensive domestic wine reference. A 96+ score from Marcus Ellis places the 2024 Old Vine Grenache among the finest wines in the country’s most authoritative annual guide. His note concentrated on the wine’s textural architecture and the depth that only very old vines can produce.

“There’s a weightless depth to this… silky, supple palate… lacy web of complex tannins.
This is exceptional.”
— Marcus Ellis  ·  96+ pts  ·  Halliday Wine Companion

Ellis’s note: drink window to 2034. McLaren Vale. The language is precise and unguarded — “exceptional” is not a word deployed casually in the Halliday Companion.

Huon Hooke  ·  The Real Review  ·  95 Points

Huon Hooke is one of Australia’s most senior and widely respected wine critics, with decades of published work across national print and digital media. His 95-point review in The Real Review — published 23 May 2026, the most recent of the five assessments — completed the critical consensus.

“Lovely wine indeed.”
— Huon Hooke  ·  95 pts  ·  The Real Review

“Drinking well already.”
— Huon Hooke  ·  95 pts  ·  The Real Review

Hooke’s descriptors: smoky charcuterie, sweet berry bonbons, and dried herbs. Full and firm palate with succulent liqueur cherry flavour. Serious tannin structure balanced by brightness and freshness. Medium-deep red with vivid purple tones. Drink window: 2026–2039.

What Five Independent Critics Confirm

They agree on two things: the wine is defined by where it comes from, and the vines that grew it. Blewitt Springs. Old vines. Sandy gravel. Exceptional vintage. 2,952 bottles.

Technical Record

Appellation: McLaren Vale, South Australia 
Sub-region: Blewitt Springs
Vineyards planted: 1939
Winemaker: Lilian Carter 
Élevage: Edward McDougall
Fermentation: Whole bunch in concrete vats 
Élevage: 11 months seasoned French foudre, 16 months in bottle pre-release 
Closure: Diam + wax  ·  Alcohol: 14.5%
Total production: 2,952 bottles — entire yield of this parcel. 

Allocation opens: Friday 19th June 2026  
Priority access: 9:00 AM AEST

Drink window: 2026–2039 
Peak expression: 2029–2034

ejmcdougall.com
E. J. McDougall Fine Wines of Australia