“I think around 40% of wine production here in McLaren Vale is organic,” Yangarra Estate winemaker Peter Fraser told me over an interview on their sustainable initiatives. That sounds impressive but actually Peter thinks more producers could be organic due to the natural conditions the region is blessed with, which lend it to easier organic production.
“McLaren Vale has a very mild, Mediterranean climate, and it’s a relatively warm and dry region which eliminates need for herbicides and fungicides for example, and you can manage with a few sulphur applications at the right time,” he explained. Going one step further however, Yangarra Estate has been biodynamic since 2012. The greatest challenge for being biodynamic in McLaren Vale however isn’t about the the health of the grapes, as fungal disease pressure is very low in the dry climate, but the health of the vines in such poor, sandy soils.
The poor sandy soils is perhaps one reason why phylloxera has never spread in the region, but it also means that the soils require the rather arduous task of adding more organic material to the soils to get enough biological activity and nutrients in the soil.
“We have to apply over 1,000 cubic meters of compost over the vineyard per annum,” Peter explained. “And we’re looking for high carbon content and low nitrogen, so we don’t want much manure but more organic content.” For their compost they make their own but also have to buy significant amounts each year. When it comes to manure, they have a flock of sheep to do all the hard work — who also double up as a great frost protection system in the Spring (keeping the grass mowed and reducing the frost risk), and have a much lower carbon emission than mowers. The rest of the year they want to encourage their under vine grasses, which act as a green mulch and increase the biological activity and retain more minerals and nutrients in the soil, which Peter says ultimately “better expresses a sense of place in the wines”. The ecological corridors and native flora and fauna are also key to biodiversity, accounting for 80 hectares of the 170 hectare property.
But the key to Yangarra Estate’s sustainability philosophy is in finding the right grapes that suit the region. “McLaren Vale is a relatively warm region which is why it is really suited to Mediterranean varieties such as Grenache and Shiraz, but also a lot of the other Mediterranean varieties — whether Italian, Spanish or some of the warmer French varietals,” explains Peter, who has been planting Bourboulenc, Picpoul Noir, Clairette Blanc, Counoise and Australia’s first Grenache Blanc.
In fact, in recent years he has removed their Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot vines because they didn’t produce the quality he was after, and the Rhone varieties were much more water efficient. They also happen to be what performs best here and make the region’s star wines.
Grenache is one of the stars of McLaren Vale, even if it only represents 6% of plantings and has become well known for its juicy red fruit core and lighter profile. At Yangarra, with the Old Vine Grenache from the Estate line, Peter aims to make a more refined and serious Grenache by using no whole bunch in the winemaking and instead aiming for that more linear, focused profile. It certainly is a Grenache of more texture than some others from the region I’ve tried, with good weight and tension, although still with fresh and vibrant fruit.
Another of the region’s stars is Shiraz, or Syrah for Francophiles. Another variety well adapted to the dry climate, Yangarra’s Estate Shiraz focuses on a more savoury interpretation of Australia’s most-planted grape. With notes of graphite, charcuterie and wild herbs, it’s a complex and nuanced wine. Whereas the no-added sulphites and preservative-free PF Shiraz is all about the fresh fruit profile, and meant to be drunk young and enjoyed with lighter meals (or Twiglets as the website recommends!)
One of the highlights of the tasting for me though, was the Blanc, a complex and textural blend of 74% Grenache blanc, 12% Roussanne, 6% Clairette, 5% Picpoul and 3% Bourboulenc. Vivid and youthful with bright zesty fruit aromas but also some mouth weight and a richness from time on lees.
What I most enjoyed with this wine tasting was hearing how Peter and his team have been really dialling down on what works best in their particular terrain and how they can make these wines in the most sustainable way. “It’s always a learning curve with biodynamic farming and winemaking, but we learn something each year,” he added. And with 20 vintages under his belt there already, these wines certainly have a great expression of their own place and interpretation of these varieties, which are really quite something to enjoy.
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