Yangarra Estate Hickinbotham Vineyard Grenache 2021

The Yangarra Estate Hickinbotham Vineyard Grenache 2021 is a stunning wine that showcases the exceptional quality of the fruit from the Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard. The favourable growing season, with good winter rains, a mild flowering and fruit set period, and continued spring rainfall to ensure a healthy canopy, resulted in yields that showed good balance between vine vigor and moderate berry size. The ripening period that began late January was very cool, with some welcome rainfall in mid-February. The delayed harvest, with cold nights and mild sunny days, produced excellent fruit ripeness and intensity and the freshness and bright natural acidity of the fruit were a real feature. Hand-picked from the vineyard on the 23rd of March and selectively berry sorted, the grapes were 100% destemmed, crushed and tipped into 1800 L 'cocciopesto' stone egg-shaped amphoras. The fermentation occurred in the amphoras, with a gentle maceration of only wetting the cap. 69% remained on skins in the amphora for 198 days, resulting in a wine that is pure and unadulterated. No pressings are used in this wine, and it was matured exclusively in the amphora for a total of 13 months before being bottled in June 2022. In the glass, the wine is a deep ruby red, with aromas of plush dense red fruit, lavender, white pepper, sour cherries and Amaro bitters. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, with a silky texture and crunchy tannins. The flavours of red fruit, sour cherries and Amaro bitters are complemented by notes of lavender and white pepper, leading to a long and satisfying finish.

Fantastic. Skittish with cool, blood orange acidity under cherry pip, pomegranate juice, cranberry with its dryness. Dried herbs, a truffley umami lick, Chinese five spice, undergrowth and faint game meat. The tannins are the thing though, racy, tight. a sheath of silt and al dente chew in a wine that defies it’s alcohol percent and ends up finer, fresher, refreshing and bright. Feels 13% or so. It stretches luxuriously on those tannins and finishes with a perfect reset each sip. Perfumed as all get out too. It went from fish to chook to salads to a bean stew and had more to go. Moreish to the max. - Mike Bennie, 96+ Points