ALICANTE BOUCHET: A carefully bred grape variety.

In 1824 Louis Bouschet at his Montpellier vineyard in southern France created Petit Bouschet by crossing Teinturier du Cher and Aramon Noir.

30 years later his son Henri would cross Petit Bouschet with Grenache, or Alicante as it was known locally in southern France. Petit Bouschet’s tenturier quality would be inherited by Alicante Bouschet giving the variety it’s red flesh character and deep dark colour. Alicante Bouschet is also known as Garnacha Tintorera and widely planted in Spain France Chile and Portugal. And our exploration of Iberian varietals continues.

THE WINE

Hand harvested, destemmed to retain whole berries. Open-fermented hand plunged twice daily, 5 day skin contact. Pressed directly to a single seasoned French oak demi muid. 4 months maturation prior to bottling.

Bottled in June 2025 to retain vibrancy and varietal flavour. Only 914 bottles made.

THE VINEYARD

Located at the northern end of Foggo Road in McLaren Vale, the 0.5 hectare block was established by grafting onto established vines in 2023 and grown on deep Blewitt Springs sands.

The site is north facing and offers excellent air drainage thanks to the adjacent gully that meanders west towards The Gulf Of Saint Vincent 10 km away

Bunches look identical in size and appearance to Grenache. However, the difference in colour is remarkable. They remind us of a giant blackberry!

THE LABEL

Earnest is a natural continuation of our passion not only for climate appropriate grape varieties but also for individual sites and vineyards.

We have made a series of handmade – single barrels from single vineyards for a single vintage only, and as the name on our label suggests we are deadly Earnest in continuing our somewhat daunting, albeit thrilling journey into the several thousand lesser-known grape varieties with you champs without whom this adventure would not be possible.

Tasting Notes