8 Bekkers from the great SA 2021 & 2022
Vintages - Plus 3 Releases from
the 2023 Vintage.
Saturday, August 29th
Hosted by Owner and Winemaker, Toby Bekkers
Lunch: 12–2.30pm | 8 wines and 4 courses | $155
Masterclass: 3–5pm | 8 wines & canapes | $75
McLaren Vale Grenache Status…Reaching for the Stars
“South Australia: McLaren Vale Grenache – The Star is Rising.”
Article headline, Erin Larkin, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
Once shunned, now prized:why grenache has become highly valued.
Max Allen, The Australian Financial Review
McLaren Vale has established a style that is unique in its balance of fine tannic structure and weightlessness in the mouth.
Erin Larkin, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
Now, it’s arguably the most exciting grape in Australia. It’s certainly among the most expensive.
Max Allen, The Australian Financial Review
It’s not possible to overstate the elegance and refinement to be found here, and I’d wager that we (the drinkers) and they (the producers) are only at the beginning of the journey.
Erin Larkin, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
The sandy soil vineyards of the Blewitt Springs subregion of McLaren Vale have taken on an almost mythic quality for a growing number of
winemakers; doyen of Australian wine critics James Halliday has described wines from this part of the world as “the holy of holies”.
Max Allen, The Australian Financial Review
“The McLaren Vale Grenache story is a very important one to the global world of Grenache”
Erin Larkin, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“After waiting patiently for decades…the world has finally woken up to its potential”
Wine Pilot
“Australian Grenache has greater ageing potential than wines made from the country's flagship red variety, Shiraz”
The UK’s Sarah Ahmed, The Drinks Business and Decanter
“Is this Grenache revival a fad, or here to stay? I'd argue the latter”
Dr Jamie Goode, Wine Australia
“… but only about 6 per cent of McLaren Vale’s vineyards are planted to grenache, and only about 3 per cent are old vineyards.”
Max Allen, The Australian Financial Review
Steve Pannell: “There’s no grenache made anywhere in the world that tastes like this. It’s uniquely its own thing.”
Max Allen, The Australian Financial Review
Critics on Bekkers…
“… A wine that defies the laws of gravity”.
99 Points James Halliday, The Weekend Australian Magazine
“This wine is astoundingly good.”
98 Points Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate
“It’s a powerhouse… an astonishing wine of incredible force and persistence.”
97 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
“This glimpses the finest crus of the northern Rhône through the lens of the Vale. Exciting. Exceptional. Rewarding.”
96 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
“The palate is beautifully concentrated…A superb wine”
96 points, Andrew Caillard MW, Vintage Journal
“A truly unique Grenache...Remarkable and utterly fascinating”
96 Points, Shanteh Wale, Winepilot
“Bekkers has become one of McLaren Vale’s star performers.”
Andrew Caillard MW
“Bekkers is a Star.”
James Halliday
… And then the Bekker’s place in that hierarchy? …
A STORY OF SOIL AND SOUL
In McLaren Vale, South Australia, the Bekkers story is born of a rare connection with nature and a world of experience. We have been fortunate to encounter some of the best the wine world has to offer, but nothing has diminished our conviction that McLaren Vale can deliver world class wines. We aim to be an emblem for fine wine in our region.
Our wines are gently crafted in tiny quantities, with an accent on finesse and fine texture. We strive to inspire confidence and push the limits of what’s possible for McLaren Vale and Australian wine. Available at just a handful of Australia’s premier restaurants and wine merchants, the majority of our production is reserved for our allocation list.
Our fine wines are loved by devotees world-wide with whom we have formed strong relationships. They share an appreciation for craftsmanship infused with the efforts and soul of the maker. As small family winemaker, we aspire to stand proud amid the world’s most coveted wines and their craftsmen.
This is a story of special wine……from the soil to the soul.
Toby & Emmanuelle Bekkers.
The Wine List
1st Course
2023 Bekkers Petit Chablis
2nd Course
2022 TOME (by) Bekkers
93 Points - Marcus Ellis, Halliday Wine Companion
A blend of 63/20/17% shiraz/cabernet sauvignon/grenache. A cuvée made for earlier drinking, with the cépage determined by the vintage. This saw maturation in 500L French puncheons and demi-muids, along with concrete tank. An effective blend, with the cabernet adding lift and leafy intrigue, an appealing torsion to the more immediate flavours, allowing some darker fruits – black cherry and plum – to flow with levity. There’s also some violet, nori and tapenade; the balance is keen, the gastronomic applications varied. Very nice.
Erin Larkin, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
The 2022 Tome consists of 63% Shiraz, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Grenache. On the nose, the fruit exudes warm cassis, blackberry, cherry, raspberry, licorice and clove, while the palate is shaped by firm, almost austere tannins; it’s savory and lean. 13.8% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
2022 Bekkers McLaren Vale Grenache
96 Points Shanteh Wale, Winepilot (April 2024)
96 Points Aaron Brasher, The Real Review (March 2024)
95 Points Angus Hughson, Winepilot (February 2024)
95 Points Marcus Ellis, Halliday Wine Companion (June 2024)
95 Points Andrew Caillard MW, The Vintage Journal (July 2024)
94 Points Ned Godwin MW, jamessuckling.com (February 2024)
2021 Bekkers McLaren Vale Grenache
98 Points James Halliday, The Weekend Australian Magazine
96 Points Stuart Knox, The Real Review (February 2023)
97 Points Andrew Caillard MW, The Vintage Journal
95+ Points Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate (September 2023)
95 Points Ned Godwin MW, Halliday Wine Companion (July 2023)
17.5 Points Max Allen, Jancis Robinson (May 2023)
3rd Course
2022 Bekkers McLaren Vale Syrah Grenache
96 Points Andrew Caillard MW, The Vintage Journal (July 2024)
96 Points Ray Jordan, Winepilot (March 2024)
96 Points Ned Godwin MW, jamessuckling.com (February 2024)
95 Points Marcus Ellis, Halliday Wine Companion (April 2024)
95 Points Rob Geddes, (June 2024)
95 Points Shanteh Wale, Winepilot (April 2024)
94 Points Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate (March 2024)
2021 Bekkers McLaren Vale Syrah
17.5++ Points - Jancis Robinson
95 Points - Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
96 Points - Wine Pilot
95 Points - James Suckling
96 Points - The Wine Front
97 Points and Ranked #2 of 71 Shiraz from McLaren Vale - Huone Hooke, The Real Review:
Deep, bold, bright red-purple colour with essency aromas of black fruits, blackberry/blackcurrant, the flavours bold and primary, full-bodied, rich and generous, with traces of star anise and licorice, poised high on the ripeness scale but certainly gets away with it. Opulent and hedonistic, a full-bodied and plush shiraz that already drinks superbly and should have a long career. Drink 2023–2041
4th Course
2023 Bekkers McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon
95 Points - Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot
The fruit for this excellent wine comes from Bekkers Clarendon Vineyard Estate, which was planted back in the early 90s. The colour is brilliant, deep, dark, but with some nice crimson hues on the finish. The nose is immediately captivating, exotic aromas of African violet, black currant and a little graphite. The palate is plush, smooth and textured, yet the fine thread of tannins has been retained, contributing to a wine of structure and purpose. There’s a little savouriness on the finish and a touch of black olive providing a nice complement to the deeper fruits. Oak is well managed, and overall, the wine is balanced and poised.
2023 Bekkers Clarendon Syrah
97 Points - Shanteh Wale, Wine Pilot
The first single vineyard bottling from the precious Clarendon site first planted in the 1840s. This did not come at a simple price tag with the couple pouring their time, labour, blood, sweat and tears into restoring it. Steep, cool and roots buried in clay and schist soils. Luckily after all the effort, the site seems very willing to tell its tale in the glass. Illawarra plum skin, black cherries and torn banksia leaf. There is carob and coffee grinds, turned grey earth and blueberries. A sandy, wet stone like minerality, followed by the echo of concentrated black fruit. The coolness of the site shows in its aerial arcs of acidity, making for a medium bodied drink full of freshness and wonder. Not only is it impossible to put down, the flexible shape of the wine keeps you guessing and completely enamoured. Tannins slowly attach like magnets making for quite a solid fabric of texture. This will age slowly over the next 12-15 years. A really special wine and spectacular for its inaugural release.