Necessity is the mother of invention! Nowhere is this as true as with Tim Adams The Fergus.
Since its first release, in 1993, The Fergus has become one of the most sought-after Grenache to come out of Australia. Big, rich and buxom, it has a pedigree that dates back to the legendary Bin 47 Grenache-based reds Tim helped make at Leasingham in the late 1970’s.
In 1993, a freak hailstorm hit several of Tim’s vineyards, greatly reducing the amount of wine that he would have from the vintage. While this was a problem in itself, the more serious ramifications for Tim were the sixty brand new oak barrels that he had purchased for the vintage for which there was now no wine to fill them!
As Tim pondered what to do, he glanced out of his kitchen window and looked at the old vine Grenache grapes in full bloom on his neighbour’s vineyard. It’s a long story, so I won’t bore you with the details, but the neighbour, Fergus Mahon, came to the rescue by selling him a substantial quantity of his Grenache.
What happened next saw the birth of The Fergus: Well, he had enough cabernet, so why not? He would create a new wine in the image of Bin 47. Grateful for Fergus’s generosity he decided to name the wine after him. Thus “The Fergus” was born.
THE 2017 FERGUS HAS JUST BEEN RELEASED!
“A charming, finely balanced blend of grenache, tempranillo and malbec whose dusty fragrance of spicy red and blue berries reveals nuances of dark chocolate, mint, graphite and ironstone. It’s soft and medium-bodied, with a brightly lit core of juicy dark berries underpinned by a supple, loose-knit spine of powdery tannin. Just starting to reveal the beginnings of earthy, leathery development, it finishes long and minty”. Jeremy Oliver (Gourmet Traveller Magazine)
2017 Tim Adams The Fergus 14.0% 6x75 £76.00
The 2017 vintage in the Clare Valley is rated as one of the great vintages, probably the best since 2002. The cool, wet nature of the vintage meant the wines veered towards softness and elegance rather than big powerhouses.
The 2017 Fergus is a wine of both power and finesse. Its generous fruitiness is complemented by a well-judged acidity, providing a refreshing lift that keeps the wine lively and vibrant.
To see the full range of Tim’s wines – go to Tim Adams Wines now