Below is the October, 2007 Featured Wine for the Wines by Jennifer Cellar Club:

2004 d'Arenberg "The Derelict Vineyard" Grenache McLaren Vale, South Australia   This popular Australian winery is owned and operated by d'Arry Osborn and his son and chief winemaker, Chester. They produce more than two dozen wines from approximately 345 acres of estate grapes in the hills north of the township of McLaren Vale, about 25 miles south of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. While the oldest d'Arenberg plantings date back to the 1890's, an abandoned vineyard planted thirty years ago with Grenache provided the grapes and the inspiration behind the naming of this wine. "The Derelict Vineyard" is a black wine with a deep purple hue. Intense, young purple fruits and flowers combine with meat and earth to yield an intense, extremely inviting aroma. The palate starts with thick, ripe mulberries, blackberries and blueberries progressing into a rich, gutsy, liquorish and bitumen palate, followed by masses of powerful, youthful, gritty fruit tannins, layered with flowery, cranberry and dark fruit flavors, and a youthful acidity. This is a wine of intense concentration, but with time the tannins will somewhat soften and integrate as the fruit flavors open.   Awarded 91 Points by Wine Spectator Awarded 92 Points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate   McLaren Vale's Geographical Indication was granted by the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation (AWBC) in 1997. A Geographical Indication is an official description of an Australian wine zone, region or sub-region. In some ways, a Geographical Indication is similar to the Appellation naming system used in Europe, but is far less restrictive in limiting the types of winemaking and viticultural practices allowed. This has meant that Australia in general and McLaren Vale and d'Arenberg in particular have been able to experiment with all kinds of styles and varieties, the only limitation being that the wine which carries a regional name (such as McLaren Vale) must consist of a minimum of 85% of fruit from that region.