Yangarra Estate Vineyard Shiraz, McLaren Vale
The Yangarra Shiraz style is not typical of McLaren Vale, being more akin to the cool-climate Australian or Rhône Valley French styles. The Yangarra single vineyard estate, planted in the late 1990s in the Kangarilla sub-region, has 12 individual Shiraz blocks at 150-180m, each one defined by different aspects and subtle variations of the sand and ironstone soils that overlie the ancient North Maslin Sands geological formation.
Yangarra is the Australian operation of Jackson Family Wines, one of California’s leading premium wine producers.
Typically, the Estate Vineyard Shiraz is fermented with 10% whole bunches and up to 50% whole berries. The fruit is mechanically sorted and cold-soaked until it ferments ‘wild’ (or spontaneously) in open-topped vessels, utilising the yeasts that came in on the grapes from the vineyard. Fermentation includes a careful regime of plunging and rack and return. The resulting wine is kept on lees in French oak (25% new; 75% older) for 12 months and is filtered, but not fined, before bottling.
Just another $30 McLaren Vale Shiraz? Absolutely not. This is profoundly exciting, another masterpiece from Peter Fraser. It's spicy, textured, with a rainbow of dark fruit flavours -- bloody gorgeous.
97 points, Wine Companion, November 2018
Wild ferment, whole bunches, whole berries, classy oak but only where it’s needed... That beautiful sweet fruit. That texture like silk. That perfect integration of plum-shot fruit and posh, cedar-like oak. It smells, taste and feels pure, fine-grained and terrific, every step of the way.
94 points, Wine Front, August 2018
A plush nose of dried violets, blackberry compote, chocolate, brambles and sugar plums. The palate’s very in tune though, with a good serving of pretty acidity, ripe yet steely tannins and a chewy finish. Drink in 2022.
93 points, jamessuckling.com, August 2018
Ripe blackberry and dark plum aromas, peppery and earthy too, intense and concentrated; clean and lightly spicy. The palate is full-bodied and elegantly-structured, with refinement and linearity. Very attractive flavours, big on mixed spices. Drink to 2030.
92 points, Real Review, July 2018
A highly captivating wine with a perfect balance between the sweet and the savoury. Sourced from established vines, ranging in age from 19 - 23 years, it is a shiraz with excellent fruit depth. There is a snappy character to the fruit on the front palate followed by impressive back palate concentration and length. Although it can be enjoyed now, it will be even better with some time in the cellar. A sophisticated, finely-crafted wine. Highly recommended.
95 points, Real Review, February 2019
"A highly captivating wine with a perfect balance between the sweet and the savoury. Sourced from established vines, ranging in age from 19 - 23 years, it is a shiraz with excellent fruit depth. There is a snappy character to the fruit on the front palate followed by impressive back palate concentration and length. Although it can be enjoyed now, it will be even better with some time in the cellar. A sophisticated, finely-crafted wine. Highly recommended."
95 points, The Real Review (February 2019)
