Winemaker Notes
Blend: 41% Grenache, 31% Shiraz, 28% Mourvedre
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
When Jess Jackson and Barbara Banke purchased this 250-acre vineyard in 2001, they brought on Peter Fraser to make the wine and Michael Lane to farm the vines. They began to implement biodynamic practices in 2008, and to nudge the style toward traditional winemaking in open-top fermenters without added yeast. The grenache in this blend (from bush vines planted in 1946) adds bright red fruit, combining with younger vine shiraz (31 percent) and mourvèdre (28 percent) in a scent that carries the arid scrub of McLaren Vale right to the glass. The wine ends clean and fresh, with a light tannin pickup, as friendly and pleasantly funky as a finely grown Mediterranean blend from the southern Rhône.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
If you are a wine lover, then you have been hearing how GSM is one of the hottest trends in the marketplace. The 2011 Yangarra Estate Vineyard may be one of the best in all the world, especially at this price point. Drinks so remarkably well, plenty of richness of ripe berries; superb staying power, yet smooth and bright in the finish. (Tasted: May 4, 2015, San Francisco, CA)
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
Known for opulent red wines with intense power and concentration, McLaren Vale is home to perhaps the most “classic” style of Australian Shiraz. Vinified on its own or in Rhône Blends, these hot-climate wines are deeply colored and high in extract with signature hints of dark chocolate and licorice. Cabernet Sauvignon is also produced in a similar style.
Whites, often made from Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc tend to be opulent and full of tropical, stone and citrus fruit.