Not that many sites seem suited to whole bunches in McLaren Vale but Yangarra is an exception. 25-30%. This was the wine that made me fall in love with the winery. The 2010 vintage had me harassing sales manager Thomas Kriegshauser for an opportunity to cover their work. A dinner with chief winemaker Peter Fraser, facilitated by wine writer Philip White resulted in the fulfilment of that desire.
Fascinating tannin structure winds the wine up before the insistence of black fruits and plum plough through. Dried herbs rather than fresh. The whole bunches are more Rhonish than you’d see in, say, the Yarra Valley. There’s very little in the way of vegetation but plenty of savoury, meaty action. It’s much more than a simple Rhone knock off though. It speaks of place and a certain intent. Ripe yet animated. Will be so good in ten year’s time. 95
Region: McLaren Vale
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Price: $45
Tasted: May 2014
We managed to get our hands on a couple of dozen of this – Fantastic wine – Almost filled with a sense of loss when a customer orders one!
Yep. Just superb.
hello Jeremy,
You’ve hit a couple of key descriptors that I align with MV shiraz…..”Fascinating tannin structure winds the wine up before the insistence of black fruits and plum plough through”
Can you explain to a simpleton such as myself how you would differentiate this wine from the usual MV shiraz ?
thanks as always
colin
Hi Colin – the first thing I’d say is that the concept of a “usual McLaren Vale Shiraz” is something I no longer give a lot of credence to – although I still believe a regional familiarity exists. I’ve spent significant time tasting throughout the region in each of the last three years. It’s very diverse. I’ll be posting a piece on that shortly. BUT having said that, the closer you get to Clarendon the more spice, florals and finesse you’ll see. That’s a generalisation that leaves me in the crosshairs and it is reductive. I’ll post a (hopefully) more comprehensive article dealing with this issue soon. I’m still getting it up to to scratch at the moment. The whole bunches also alter the tannic structure of the wine significantly and seem to add a wild savouriness.