2023 Prayer Garden Grenache
($38.25 Wine Club price)
The Prayer Garden is a special place, dry grown very old bush vines in Ebenezer in the Northern Barossa Valley. Like its neighbouring Glengrae, the Prayer Garden is a lost block of a mere 2 acres planted generations ago. Traditionally farmed with no access to supplementary water, highly exposed and subject to frost more years than not. Known as the Prayer Garden as a result of the short statue of the vines, kneeling the preferred method of approaching the vines whether picking or pruning. Hard work, but worth every effort.
Hand picked late in the season the fruit was de-stemmed before being fermented for an extended period on skins before being transferred to seasoned puncheon for maturation.
The resulting wine is highly perfumed, medium bodied. Beautifully balanced, red fruits, fine tannin and acid, all in balance. Wonderful grenache.
($38.25 Wine Club price)
The Prayer Garden is a special place, dry grown very old bush vines in Ebenezer in the Northern Barossa Valley. Like its neighbouring Glengrae, the Prayer Garden is a lost block of a mere 2 acres planted generations ago. Traditionally farmed with no access to supplementary water, highly exposed and subject to frost more years than not. Known as the Prayer Garden as a result of the short statue of the vines, kneeling the preferred method of approaching the vines whether picking or pruning. Hard work, but worth every effort.
Hand picked late in the season the fruit was de-stemmed before being fermented for an extended period on skins before being transferred to seasoned puncheon for maturation.
The resulting wine is highly perfumed, medium bodied. Beautifully balanced, red fruits, fine tannin and acid, all in balance. Wonderful grenache.
($38.25 Wine Club price)
The Prayer Garden is a special place, dry grown very old bush vines in Ebenezer in the Northern Barossa Valley. Like its neighbouring Glengrae, the Prayer Garden is a lost block of a mere 2 acres planted generations ago. Traditionally farmed with no access to supplementary water, highly exposed and subject to frost more years than not. Known as the Prayer Garden as a result of the short statue of the vines, kneeling the preferred method of approaching the vines whether picking or pruning. Hard work, but worth every effort.
Hand picked late in the season the fruit was de-stemmed before being fermented for an extended period on skins before being transferred to seasoned puncheon for maturation.
The resulting wine is highly perfumed, medium bodied. Beautifully balanced, red fruits, fine tannin and acid, all in balance. Wonderful grenache.
Technical Tasting Notes
2023 PRAYER GARDEN GRENACHE
GROWING SEASON
The 2023 Barossa Valley vintage will be remembered as one of the latest vintages in recent memory. After a wet winter the rains continued well into November, it was certainly unlike any other. This meant the growing season was off to a slow start. The Barossa season from this point on was almost perfect. Warmer than the 2022 vintage, but cooler than the long term average.
TASTING NOTE
The Prayer Garden is a special place, dry grown very old bush vines in Ebenezer in the Northern Barossa Valley. Like its neighbouring Glengrae, the Prayer Garden is a lost block of a mere 2 acres planted generations ago. Traditionally farmed with no access to supplementary water, highly exposed and subject to frost more years than not. Known as the Prayer Garden as a result of the short statue of the vines, kneeling the preferred method of approaching the vines whether picking or pruning. Hard work, but worth every effort. Hand picked late in the season the fruit was de-stemmed before being fermented for almost 20 days on skins before being transferred to seasoned puncheons for maturation.
The resulting wine is highly perfumed, medium bodied. Beautifully balanced, red fruits, fine tannin and acid, all in balance. Wonderful grenache.
SPECIFICATIONS
Region: Barossa Valley
Sub Region: Ebenezer
Variety: Grenache
Alcohol: 14.5%
Production: 1350 bottles
Cellaring: 5 years+
Winemaker: Andrew Seppelt
Download Technical Tasting Notes 2023 Vintage ➝
Download Technical Tasting Notes 2022 Vintage ➝
Download Technical Tasting Notes 2021 Vintage ➝
Download Technical Tasting Notes 2020 Vintage
Reviews
2022 Prayer Garden Grenache
Not Yet Reviewed
2022 Prayer Garden Grenache
HUon Hooke (The Real Review)
92 Points - Deep, dark, dense colour, with a tint of purple, the bouquet very intense and earthy, dusty/terracotta and smoky mataro-like pepperiness. The wine is full-bodied, dense, concentrated and firm, the tannins almost tough in their impact. Very focused and penetrating, but needs a little more time to loosen up. 14 JAN 2024
HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION (DAVE BROOKES)
93 Points - I've been to a vineyard called the Prayer Garden in Ebenezer before. It might be the same one; there might be several with that name; the Barossa's mysterious like that. The one I went to was so named because the vines were so low the pickers looked like they were praying. Semantics aside, this wine's a ripper. All red fruits, cola, gingery spice, some sarsaparilla, citrus blossom and earth. A pure, easy-drinking style, and it's just lovely.
2021 Prayer Garden Grenache
Andrew Caillard MW (The Vintage Journal)
92 Points - Medium-deep crimson. Plenty of red fruits to start here with red cherry, redcurrant aromas with a nice dash of cola. Well concentrated and inky textured, there are more gentle red cherry and redcurrant flavours supported by fine lacy dry tannins and juicy acidity, which make for a very attractive, early-drinking grenache style.
Now-2025
Steve Leszczynski (Qwinereviews)
93 Points - A new addition to the Hayes portfolio, the diversity of their Grenache wines from across the Barossa (plus one from McLaren Vale) is quite something. Wonderfully aromatic, this is captivating from the outset. The Prayer Garden is a small site, just less than a hectare, that survived the wretched vine pull of the mid 1980s.
Purple and blue fruits plus glorious aromas of raspberries and blueberries, you can't help but be immediately hooked. It slides through the mouth with ease. It's that yacht on calm water just sliding through as you marvel it's glory. The fruit gets a little deeper and more complex with the more air it sees. Delicate spices are carefully sprinkled throughout leaving a long wake that laps at your feet. Silty tannins have the last word. Slowly drying and drawing a moreish factor along for the ride. Just beautiful.
Drink to five years+
Gabrielle Poy (therealreview.com)
92 Points - Charred meat, black plums and raspberries on the nose make way for a savoury palate. Judicious oak spice mixes with a flush of fruit, adding complexity and a serious side to the wine. This should age well, letting the structure relax a little
2022-2029
2023 James Halliday Wine Companion (Dave Brookes)
93 Points - Bright red purple in the glass with aromas of blood plum, Asian spice, dark chocolate-dipped raspberries, licorice, earth and lighter hints of jasmine and cola. The spicy plume of plum fruit is propelled across the palate by bright, minerally acidity, tannins are compact and sandy and a vibrant, medium-length finish.
2020 Vineyard Series Prayer Garden Grenache
Not Publicly Released
