I have an admission to make, I loved everything about our visit to Yangarra. Arriving late in the afternoon the cellar door was quiet, calm, relaxed and very comfortable. for a short tasting of these super wines. The estate is a short fifteen minute drive from the town of McLaren Vale and just 2.5Km from the small town of Kangarilla. It is well worth the effort especially if Rhone varietals are your wines of choice. Located at 809 McLaren Flat Road the cellar door is open six days a week Monday to Saturday between 11am and 5pm. It is only a small space so try to avoid busy times such as Saturday and public holidays. These are wines for contemplation and should be savoured and enjoyed, you certainly don’t want to have to rush your tasting.
Yangarra, an aboriginal word meaning ‘from the earth’, is a single estate vineyard with all wines made from grapes grown here. Vines are grown in 35 blocks covering a total area of around 100 hectares. Low yielding old bush vine Grenache is a key varietal here. Other significant plantings are of Shiraz, Mourvedre, Cinsault and Carignan for the reds and Rousanne and Viognier for the whites. There are also up to eleven other varieties grown but in much smaller quantities.
Yangarra enjoys a moderate mediterranean climate with warm days for grape development and cool nights to preserve freshness and acidity. There are three distinct soil types found on the property. On the western side there is a sandwich of layers topped with semaphore sand. This provides the ideal environment for producing Grenache of depth and complexity. The central region sees little of the sand with exposed ironstone and a thin layer of clay while to the east the soil is a silty loam.
The estate has been organic since 2008 and certified biodynamic in2012. All wines have been certified biodynamic since the 2013 vintage. The philosophy here is one of minimum intervention, doing only what is absolutely necessary to produce wines of character, elegance and complexity. Wine making uses mechanical sorting and no crushing. Fermentation is in open top vessels and uses wild yeasts only. Pressing uses a modern stainless steel version of the traditional basket press. Wines are predominantly aged in old French oak so that oak doesn’t overly dominate allowing the wines true character to shine.
Estate Old Vine Grenache 2018. From fruit grown in four different blocks on 70 year old vines and matured for nine months in old French oak. Medium in body with delicious red fruits and perfumed dried herbs. Savoury with a lovely finish.
Ovitelli Grenache 2017. Fruit comes from block 30 where the vines are around 70 years old. Fermented and aged in ceramic amphora. A wild ferment with extended skin contact followed by maturation in the amphora, the wine has seen no oak at all. Elegant, perfumed red fruits with a touch of delicate spice. A delightful wine.
High Sands Grenache 2015. Only 2000 bottles of this superb wines were made. There are six blocks of old vine Grenache at Yangarra and this wine is made from fruit grown in block 31 which has vines almost seventy years old. It is located at a height of 210m and this is where the underlying sand is at its deepest and the vines most stressed. Vinification was 50% whole berry, 50?/5 destemmed with an open ferment using wild yeast. The wine was matured for eleven months in old French oak barrels. The nose is complex and beguiling with cherry, red berries and violets. The palate is wonderfully balanced and the fruit sings on through coupled with a lovely savouriness. If you are a lover of old vine Grenache you have to try this wine. Excellent stuff.
Estate Shiraz 2017. There are 12 individual blocks of Shiraz at Yangarra and fruit from six is used to make this wine, the average age of the vines is around 20 years. 10% whole bunch, of the remainder 50% was whole berry while the remainder were lightly crushed. A wild ferment was followed by twelve months on lees in French oak of which 25% was new. The nose is enticing with black fruits drawing you into a palate which yields peppery fruit and gentle spice. Great value.
Ironheart Shiraz 2016. Ironheart is made solely with fruit from block 15 which is planted on ironstone gravels. The vines were planted twenty years ago. Fermented with 25% of the fruit whole bunch and the remainder destemmed. Aged for 18 months with 35% in new French oak and 65% in older French oak. Black fruits, peppery spice and a savoury depth. I would love to try this again after a few years bottle age as it shows great potential. Excellent.
My only regret was that we didn’t get a chance to taste some of the other wines made here as we’d arrived late in the afternoon. Better planning is required next time. If you get a chance to visit don’t hesitate, get along there.