Yangarra Estate Vineyard Hickinbotham Clarendon Grenache 2024
Yangarra Estate Vineyard Hickinbotham Clarendon Grenache 2024
AU$80, 14% alcohol, screwcap, McLaren Vale.
Unirrigated bush vines – three beautiful words – planted in 1962, taken here from block 301 of the Hickinbotham vineyard at Clarendon, all grown using organic and biodynamic farming principles. This was matured in the famed Drunk Turtle vessels – a type of (crushed) clay amphorae. The wine spent four months on skins in amphora, which is a long time. Maturation time (in amphora) total was seven months.
The tannin isn’t quite the long, fine sheet here, which made me question its length at first, though the longer I sat with it the more it stretched out. There’s some heft here in general, and some grunt to the tannin, though it remains modern, perfumed, complex and compelling, if perhaps drawn with ropes rather than with lace. Rust, mace, black cherry, anise, a crackle of old bush leaves, highlights of bell cherry and raspberry, a forest berry and embedded mint note. There’s a darkness to this release but yet ample light and length.
95 points – Campbell Mattinson.
