Description
This cutting edge McLaren Vale producer is making delicious energetic estate grown wines from its biodynamic vineyards. We have been bowled over by every wine in their line up … a rare occurrence in this business. Very smart GSM produced here…
“Venerable vines, fastidious viticulture and cutting edge winemaking kit. It’s a killer combination and the reason why Yangarra is producing some of the best wines in the Vale right now. “ Max Allen, The Weekend Australian. March 2013
Comprises fruit sourced from predominantly bush vine Grenache planted in 1946. Traditional winemaking with minimal intervention. cold soaked, wild yeasts, open fermenters followed by 9 months maturation in older French Oak, 58% Grenache, 24% Shiraz and 18% Mourvedre.
About this wine from the Winemaker: “Our GSM is a careful blending of Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvèdre in which the composition varies from year to year, conveying the traditional estate blends of the southern Rhône. The backbone of the wine comes from our old bush vine Grenache, which was planted in 1946.
“The 2016 growing season was marked by a dry spring and was headed for a very early and compressed season. We had some mild summer rains which slowed the sugar ripening of the vines down, and helped give brightness and fleshiness to vintage.
“Our vineyard is certified Biodynamic (certification # 11587) with Australian Certified Organic. We have quite a practical approach, with our philosophy focused around healthy and alive soil, which involves no use of synthetic herbicides or fungicides, use of compost and biodynamic preparations, use of sheep in winter to graze under vine, and minimal mechanical soil disruption.
“The grapes from each block were hand-picked, de-stemmed and mechanically sorted. Whole berries were then transferred to open-top fermenters. We cold soaked the fermentation tanks for 5 days until the onset of wild fermentation, utilising the yeasts that naturally come in with the grapes from the vineyard. The open fermenters underwent a careful regime of plunging and drain and returns.
“The wine was then sent to older French oak after 10 days and kept on the yeast lees for approximately 10 months prior to blending.”
Huon Hooke ..“Yangarra Estate is in the Blewitt Springs locality of McLaren Vale where the Rhone Valley grape varieties thrive on the poor. sandy soils. The big gun is a magnificent pure grenache called High Sands. but it’s $110 a bottle, which makes this look even better value.”
The Yangarra GSM is a careful blending of grenache, shiraz and mourvèdre. Bright and perfumed with chewy earth and spice characters, this is a fine example of what an evenly spread palate tastes like. A wine with a backbone of old bush vine Grenache planted in the 1940’s. After careful cellaring and time in bottle this wine is on song and showing so much life that another 10 years in bottle looks conservative! This wine will continue to evolve but why wait! Pefect drinking now at a bargain price for this quality and pedigree.
95 Points, James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion “Magical, deep crimson; as devotees of Chateau Rayas, and others from the Rhone Valley will attest, grenache has many faces, the most admired in that part of France, its serious, long-lived, complex and structured single varietal pose. But it’s usually in a blend, and in Australia usually with shiraz and mourvedre, and this is a compelling example of all the individual flavours of its components. Drink now til 2041.” 16/6/2021
RRP $40 Our Price $31.99
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