This wine displays a wonderful balance of fresh acidity and textural interest from fermentation in both oak and tank. Ripe stone fruit characters flow seamlessly across the palate.

 Meet the Pir

Variety: Chenin Blanc from the Blewitt Springs district of McLaren Vale.

Summary: This wine displays a wonderful balance of fresh acidity and textural interest from fermentation in both oak and tank. Ripe stone fruit characters flow seamlessly across the palate.

Tasting Note: White peach, red apple and flint show on the aroma with cinnamon adding complexity. The palate is a textural delight with a great depth of flavour – time on ferment lees has provided an attractive creamy character to the wine. Use of French oak provides a touch of astringency on the finish. A rounded and complete wine, crisp acidity cleans the finish and provides great length.

Goes With Food: A rich baked salmon dish with green herb sauce would complement the palate roundness of this wine.

Goes With Cheese: A triple cream Camembert will match the body of this wine and complement its flinty aspects.

Goes With Music: Future Islands – Seasons (Waiting On You)

Goes With Life: A great way to finish off a flight of white wines before moving on to the reds, but the body of this wine gives it tremendous versatility.

Vegan

Serve At: 10-12 degrees Celsius.

When to Drink: Ready to drink now but will continue evolving through to 2030.

ABV%: 13.2%

Select between a 6 bottle pack or 12 bottle case to Buy Pir Chenin Blanc 2025.

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McLaren Vale Grenache from Multiple Remarkable Sites | 95 Points | Limited Release

What happens when you bring some of McLaren Vale's most distinctive Grenache sites together?

You get Confluence.

Our original Grenache.

A wine that has been with us from the very beginning.

And if you want to understand why we're so obsessed with Grenache, this is a pretty good place to start.

Meet Confluence Grenache Noir 2025

Confluence is our expression of what happens when different sites, different soils and different expressions of Grenache come together.

The 2025 vintage brings together fruit predominantly from Blewitt Springs, with a touch of Clarendon, creating a McLaren Vale Grenache that is aromatic, complex, structured and remarkably easy to drink.

It's serious enough for dinner.

Relaxed enough for the back deck.

And interesting enough that you'll probably find yourself going back to the glass to see what changed.

That's Confluence.

Why Buy Confluence Grenache 2025?

What Does Confluence Grenache Taste Like?

Pour it and you'll see the vibrant red colour with purple hues in the glass.

At first, there's a savoury core of olive and briar.

Give it some air.

That's when the fruit starts to emerge.

Crunchy raspberry. Cranberry.

Then the palate opens up into Satsuma plum, wild strawberry and fine sandalwood, carried by fine tannins that give the wine impressive length.

There's real intensity and concentration here, but without heaviness or cloying sweetness.

It's the kind of Grenache that rewards attention without demanding it.

Pour a glass. Give it some air. Come back to it.

You'll probably find something new.

A Confluence of McLaren Vale Sites

Confluence isn't a single-site wine.

That's the point.

It brings together fruit from several remarkable vineyards to create something greater than any one parcel could achieve.

This is one of the reasons we love Grenache.

It can express the personality of a place with remarkable clarity — but it can also show what happens when different places are brought together deliberately.

Confluence is the latter.

How We Made Confluence Grenache 2025

Grenache fruit was hand-picked and a portion of the fruit was fermented as whole bunches.

30% whole bunch fermentation took place in stainless steel and small concrete open-top fermenters.

The wine was then matured in a combination of:

• 1,500L Drunk Turtle cocciopesto
• Seasoned French 2,800L foudre
• Demi-muid oak

The result is a wine with structure and complexity without letting oak dominate the fruit or site character.

Bottled February 2026.

Made for the Table

Confluence is deliberately food friendly.

It's got enough structure to stand up to dinner, enough freshness to keep you reaching for another glass and enough savoury character to make food taste better.

Goes With Food

Pan-seared duck.

The spice and body of the duck are a beautiful match for the wine.

Goes With Cheese

Camembert or a washed-rind cheese.

The mushroom characters in the cheese complement the wine without overwhelming its more delicate structure.

Goes With Music

Nick Cave – Jubilee Street.

Goes With Life

Out for a fancy dinner.

Or aperitivo on the back deck.

Because wine doesn't need an occasion.

Sometimes the occasion is simply that you've made it to the end of the day.

When Should You Drink Confluence 2025?

Now.

Confluence 2025 is ready to drink, but it has the structure, concentration and tannin to continue evolving through to 2035.

Serve at 18°C.

If you're drinking it tonight, give it some time in the glass.

If you're putting some away, expect the savoury and structural elements to become increasingly integrated with time.

Critic Recognition

95 points - Marcus Ellis, Halliday Wine Companion

Confluence has been one of the wines at the heart of Aphelion since the beginning, and the 2025 vintage continues that story with the combination we love: perfume, savouriness, structure, freshness and drinkability.

It's Grenache with enough going on to reward the serious wine drinker, without becoming a wine you have to think about.

Is Confluence the Right McLaren Vale Grenache for You?

Buy Confluence if you want a Grenache that's...

• Aromatic rather than heavy — expressive fruit and savoury complexity without excessive weight.
• Food friendly — structured enough for dinner but fresh enough to keep drinking.
• Complex without being complicated — there are layers here, but you don't need a wine degree to enjoy them.
• Distinctively McLaren Vale — drawing on fruit from some of the vineyards we know and work with closely.
• Built to evolve — ready now, with the structure to develop through 2035.
• A genuine Aphelion original — Confluence has been part of our Grenache story from the very beginning.

Confluence vs Single Site Grenache

Wondering whether you should choose Confluence or one of our Single Site Grenaches?

If you want to explore what McLaren Vale Grenache can do across different sites, Confluence is the place to start.

If you want to go deeper into the difference a particular block can make, explore our Single Site Grenaches next.

Why Confluence Is Worth Buying Direct from Aphelion

You can find Aphelion wines through selected retailers.

But when you buy Confluence directly from us, you're buying from the people who made it.

You're closer to the vineyards.

Closer to the winemaking.

Closer to the stories behind the bottle.

And you're first in line for the wines that never make it as far as retail.

Our Wine Club members also receive early access to new and limited releases, exclusive wines, complimentary tastings and member benefits.

DISCOVER THE APHELION WINE CLUB →

Buy Confluence Grenache Noir 2025 Online

Ready to pour?

Choose between a 6-bottle pack or 12-bottle case of Aphelion Confluence Grenache Noir 2025.

With only 1,100 six-packs and 100 Magnums produced, this is a limited vintage.

Ready now. Delicious with dinner. Built to evolve.

Psst... Like the sound of exclusive wines, early access and free shipping? Our Wine Club members receive exclusive access to new and limited releases, complimentary tastings and member benefits.

Shipping

We deliver Aphelion wines throughout Australia by Australia Post.

• South Australia: $15 flat-rate shipping per order.
• Rest of Australia: $20 flat-rate shipping per order.
• Wine Club members: Free shipping.
• Orders are usually dispatched within 2 business days.
• Delivery generally takes between 2 and 10 business days depending on location.

Wines cannot be shipped to dry zones and will not be delivered to anyone under 18 years of age.

Frequently Asked Questions About Confluence Grenache 2025

About Aphelion Wine Co.

Aphelion is a small, family-owned winery in McLaren Vale, South Australia, specialising in Grenache.

We work closely with growers and make wines from remarkable vineyards and specific sites across McLaren Vale.

Our wines are made to express place, season and the character of Grenache — and, most importantly, to be opened and enjoyed with good food and good people.

Aphelion began with Grenache.

Our focus is Grenache.

And our future is Grenache.

Affinity 2024 Grenache Mourvèdre is a key flagstone wine for us. We are known for our Grenache and Mourvèdre, and our Affinity is a perfect example of complex, delicious wine that is much greater than the sum of it's premium parts.

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"This blend keeps improving through successive vintages, with less width and more sustained tension in the flavour profile due to Mack’s keen attention to detail." - David Sly for Decanter

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Meet the Affinity

Variety: An 85/15 blend of McLaren Vale Grenache and Mourvèdre.

Summary: A blend of single vineyard McLaren Vale Grenache and single vineyard Willunga South Mourvèdre results in a wine with oodles of complexity. Good roundness of fruit flavour on the mid palate leads to a savoury finish with powdery tannin.

Tasting Note: A beautiful and crisp savoury edge runs through this wine from aroma to palate. The whole bunch ferment characters appear in the form of spicy herbal complexity whilst the youthful Grenache component keeps the feel fresh and vibrant. Savoury, spicy, complex.

Goes With Food: Matches well to lighter red meat dishes such as venison or rare lamb, but is equally well suited to a vegetarian lasagne. Versatility is a key component of this wine.

Goes With Cheese: An aged cloth bound cheddar or mid strength parmesan matches the subtle tannin profile of The Affinity.

Goes With Music: PJ Harvey – Down By The Water.

Goes With Life: Laughter and languid lounging with loved ones.

Serve At: 18 degrees Celsius.

When to Drink: Ready to drink now, but will continue evolving through to 2031.

Vineyard: The Grenache fruit comes from the Romano family’s single vineyard in the Seaview sub-district of McLaren Vale. The Mourvèdre is from the Lacey family’s single vineyard in Willunga South..

Winemaking: Both parcels of wine that make up this blend were fermented and aged separately before blending. A portion of stems was used in the Grenache ferment. Some pre-ferment cold soak was used with the Mourvèdre portion. The wine was then matured for ten months in neutral French puncheons and hogsheads prior to bottling in February 2025.

Unfiltered | Unfined | Vegan

ABV%: 14.2%

Production: 220 half-dozen produced under screwcap.

Accolades:

94 points David Sly for Decanter

93 point Marcus Ellis for Halliday Wine Companion

"A silky blend of Grenache with Mourvèdre provides an intriguing embrace of alluring elegance with backbone and drive...Instead, the pretty wild raspberry perfume of Grenache rises high from the glass and provides a sweet opening kiss, before the palate opens to show deep red fruits and a hint of smooth blackberry, embraced by the mild spice and firm structure of supple Mourvèdre. This blend keeps improving through successive vintages, with less width and more sustained tension in the flavour profile due to Mack’s keen attention to detail." - David Sly for Decanter

"85/15% grenache from Seaview/mourvèdre from Whites Valley; 15% whole bunch. Strawberry, raspberry and morello cherry, intensely rendered – though with plenty of airspace, transparency and flow – along with scrubby herbs, dried bay, turned earth, blood orange, cracked pepper and some darker spices. It has volume but not weight on the palate, the tannins finely wrought yet chewy, a burst of freshness to close." - Marcus Ellis for Halliday Wine Companion

Select between a 6 bottle pack or 12 bottle case to Buy the Aphelion Affinity 2024 Grenache Mourvèdre. 

Psst...Like the sound of exclusive wines? Fancy having set-and-forget wine shipments to your door? How about discount Members pricing (just $37.80 a bottle!) plus perks like free shipping? Step right this way...

Tendance Shiraz 2020 is our Aphelion take on the workhorse of McLaren Vale - Shiraz.

Tending more Rhone in style, Rob seeks out elegance, aromatics, spice and savouriness.

Variety:

Shiraz from two bordering vineyards on McMurtrie Road in the heart of McLaren Vale.

Summary: 

A fruit forward wine with good structure and balance showing a finesse that McLaren Vale Shiraz rarely displays.

Tasting Note:

Inky purple with a deep core, violets, brambles and mulberries combine with wood spice on the nose and palate. Savoury notes of olive, cracked coffee, cedar and green herbs add complexity. The wine displays good length on the palate and a supple texture in its medium to full bodied frame.

Goes With Food: 

The structure of the wine will work well with red meat dishes – venison and roasted vegetables would be a particularly good match.

Goes With Cheese: 

An aged gouda (especially a lightly smoked version) will complement both the fruity and savoury aspects of this Shiraz.

Goes With Music: 

Radiohead – Pyramid Song.

Goes With Life: 

Bring this one out when main course is served – it won’t shy away from medium to full bodied dishes.

Serve At:

18 degrees Celsius.

When to Drink:

Ready to drink now, but will continue evolving through to 2035.

Vineyard: 

Single cordon trellising and careful hand pruning resulted in low yields and intense flavour in the fruit.

Winemaking: 

The two vineyards were picked a week apart in mid-March. The first vineyard’s fruit was destemmed and fermented to dryness before being gently pressed and sent to neutral French oak to mature. The second vineyard was fermented in two batches; one was pressed to a brand-new Dominique Laurent French oak 600L puncheon, the second was kept on skins for four months to impart savoury complexity before pressing to large format (600L) French oak. The parcels were blended prior to bottling in November 2019.

Unfiltered | Unfined | Vegan

Production:

300 dozen produced under screwcap.


Select between a 6 bottle pack or 12 bottle case to Buy Tendance Shiraz 2019. Psst...Like the sound of our Members pricing ($37.80) plus perks like free shipping? Step right this way..