Yangarra Estate, Estate Noir, McLaren Vale 2019

Yangarras Mourvedre vineyard lies on a small west-facing block on sandy, ironstone gravel soils and has a soldier-like upright growth. It’s the last variety to ripen on our estate. 2015 was a low-yielding year, but this only helped to intensify the flavours which are shown in the wines, alongside perfect natural acidity and exceptional colour. Mourvedre was hand-picked and received via a belt elevator (rather than a screw hopper which macerates the skins) and only de-stemmed. Whole berries were double sorted before going into open-top fermenters. They cold soaked the fermentation tanks for 5-6 days until the onset of wild yeast fermentation. The open fermenters underwent a careful regime of plunging and drain and returns. The wine was then sent to older French barriques after about 12-14 days and kept on the yeast lees for approximately 9 months prior to blending. The wine received no fining, just filtration.

The Med meets McClaren Vale at Yangarra where single-estate Mediterranean varieties planted as far back as 1946 are grown in a traditional bush-vine style. The Blewitt Springs sub region of McLaren Vale, South Australia, is home to Yangarra Estate - 250 acres of vines in 35 individual blocks spread amongst 420 acres of creeks, native vegetation and nature corridors. It's here in their state-of-the-art winery that 'Australian Winemaker of the Year 2016', Pete Fraser, crafts his elegant wines full of concentration, complexity and texture.

Yangarra is an aboriginal word meaning ‘from the earth’ and Yangarra Estate is devoted to producing wines from the best grape varieties of the southern Rhone, and its combination of rare geologies, moderate altitude, abundant sunshine and cool evening breezes make it perfect for growing varieties that thrive in these moderate maritime environments. Customers and critics alike love these wines.