2024 Bulman Gary's Vineyard Grenache
Region: Blewitt Springs, McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia
Grape: 100% Grenache
Vineyard Practice: Sustainable, Vegan
Culinary Suggestions: Char Siu Pork, Miso-Glazed Salmon, Thai Duck Red Curry, Roasted Duck
Alcohol: 13.5%
Bottle Size: 750ml
The 2024 Gary’s Vineyard Grenache by Mark Bulman is a compelling expression of McLaren Vale's Blewitt Springs subregion. Crafted from dry-grown vines planted in 2007, this wine offers a harmonious blend of red fruit, spice, and earthy undertones, underpinned by fine tannins and vibrant acidity. Its nuanced profile makes it an excellent companion to a variety of Asian dishes.
Overview
Mark Bulman is a distinguished Australian winemaker celebrated for his transformative work with Grenache. His career began with a winemaking degree in 2006, followed by international experience in Germany and New Zealand. In 2009, he returned to South Australia to join Turkey Flat Vineyards in the Barossa Valley, where he served as chief winemaker from 2010 to 2021. During this tenure, he earned acclaim for refining Grenache, notably winning the 2017 Jimmy Watson Trophy for the 2016 Turkey Flat Grenache—the first time a varietal Grenache received this honor.
Inspired by a subsequent trip to Gigondas in France's Southern Rhône, Bulman launched his own label, Bulman Wines, focusing on Grenache that emphasizes site expression and elegance. His 2023 debut releases include two single-vineyard Grenaches: Glen’s Vineyard from Eden Valley and Gary’s Vineyard from McLaren Vale's Blewitt Springs. Both wines are crafted with minimal oxygen exposure and aged in sandstone amphorae to preserve purity and terroir.
Gary’s Vineyard, situated at 200 metres altitude in Blewitt Springs, features ironstone conglomerate mixed with sand and gravel over mottled orange-yellow clay, part of the North Maslin Sand formation. The vineyard's unique position on a ridge above the Onkaparinga Gorge contributes to its distinctive microclimate. The 2024 vintage, characterised by warmer and drier conditions, yielded grapes with concentrated flavours and structural depth.
The winemaking process involved 5% whole bunch fermentation, 12 days on skins pre-ferment, an 8-day ferment, and 61 days on skins post-ferment. The wine was then aged for 182 days in a sandstone amphora, enhancing its textural complexity and preserving its purity.
Critic Reviews
96 points
Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front June 2025
Lots of time on skins, raised in amphora, made by an all-round class act who also a) happens to be one the better human beings you’re ever likely to encounter and b) be the first person to win the Jimmy Watson with a varietal grenache. It’s been quite a thing to watch the birth of this Bulman endeavour. We’re watching something special grow up from the very ground.
Last year I scored both the Blewitt Springs/McLaren Vale and Springton/Eden Valley releases – Glen’s and Gary’s respectively – the same, though if I was forced to choose I probably would have gone for the Blewitt. Both the 2024 releases this year are surlier than their 2023 equivalents, which isn’t a bad thing. Both these wines need lots of air and, yet better, a few years in a cool, dark, stable place.
The flavour profile, the tonic notes, the firm ribs of tannin, the way it starts to slide away and then kicks back up and then, yet still, continues with an extra drift of flavour. This is a wine to reward the patient. It tastes of fresh red cherry and red licorice, iron, plum, salted spices, dried herbs and rust. There’s both substance and lightness, grunt and run. The purity of this wine feels more like honesty. It skips over the essences and drives straight for the essential. It’s the face of character, served clean, lined deep. It’s a beauty. As in, it’s beautiful, and its quality is cracking good.
Drink 2028 - 2038