2022 Yangarra Ovitelli Blanc

Highly Rated
A southern-Rhone inspired blend of white varieties, with 60% skin contact and fermentation / maturation in ceramic eggs. Deliciously thought-provoking.

Price:
Sale price$67.00
Stock:
In stock, ready to ship, only 2 units left
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Description

95 points
"A superb vintage for this, the finest iteration of Ovitelli Blanc thus far... A brilliant expression that should age very well indeed." 
- Ned Goodwin (The Wine Front)

A decade ago Yangarra had the foresight to import most of the remaining permitted Chateauneuf du Pape grape varieties (there are 13 in total) missing from their Rhone-inspired McLaren Vale vineyard.  This Ovitelli Blanc is a blend of Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Grenache Gris, Bourboulenc and Clairette, and wondefully displays the suitability of these varieties to McLaren Vale.

Around 60% of the fruit sees time on skins (for on average 120 days), with the majority fermented in ceramic egg, before finally blended and matured back in egg again. The result is a stunningly textural white wine; flavourful, dry, filled with notes of pears, apples and lemon awash with sea spray.

It's a wine filled with personality and interest, and yet another pioneering cuvee from this innovative winemaking team.

96 points, "A blend of 58/24/8/5/5% grenache blanc/roussanne/ grenache gris/bourboulenc/clairette. Some grenache and clairette on skins in concrete eggs for 120 days, the remainder whole-bunch pressed to egg; 59% skin contact in the final blend. Organic/biodynamic. The skin contact provides meaningful detail to this, but in a quiet way, gently tugging the palate with a pumice-like texture, shaving off overt fruitfulness and layering in savoury flavour. Dried pear, poached apple, quince, ground ginger, beeswax, lemon barely water and chamomile. It’ll be fascinating to watch this age, no doubt picking up honeyed tones, while that bedrock of artfully laid grape tannin will provide a moreish succulence for many years." - Marcus Ellis (Halliday Wine Companion)

95 points, "A superb vintage for this, the finest iteration of Ovitelli Blanc thus far. Aromas of freshly made lemonade, herbal tea, salted quince and raw almonds, with a bitter kick of quinine at the finish. Full-bodied with just the right amount of pucker and a salty lick at the end. A brilliant expression that should age very well indeed. Drink or hold. Screw cap." - Ned Goodwin (JamesSuckling.com)

93 points, "Light straw-yellow hue. Ripe pear, almond meal and north African spices all show on the nose and palate. A savoury and delightful wine that glides and flows through all the corners of the mouth. Finely structured, both acid and tannins working their magic to ensure great length and focus. It's very intriguing and evolves in the glass. A wine that is built for matching with food." - Stuart Knox (Real Review)

88 points, "Nutty, mint, honeysuckle, some pear and stonefruit, but gee, the flavour is on the down low here. It’s chalky, has acidity, but really does not taste of much, aside some ceramic egg and lemon water with honey, and maybe rock salt and straw. Texture is good, offers a fine grip, but where is the flavour? Like Seinfeld, it’s maybe a wine about nothing." - Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

Inspired by the textural white wines of the Southern Rhône, Ovitelli Blanc brings these traditional varieties together in blended harmony. Grenache Blanc and Roussanne gently fermented and aged with skin contact in large ceramic eggs.

VINTAGE SUMMARY
The 2022 growing season followed very similar conditions to 2021, though slightly cooler. There were favourable winter rains and a mild flowering and fruit set period. The cool ripening period took place between late January through to harvest in March. Yields were well balanced, and we were pleased with the fruit ripeness, intensity, freshness, and natural acidity.

WINEMAKING

57% Grenache Blanc, 24% Roussanne, 8% Grenache Gris, 6% Bourboulenc, 5% Clairette. All varieties hand-picked. Roussanne picked on the 27th March and the Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris. Bourboulenc and Clairette on the 3rd of April. Portions of the Grenache Blanc and Roussanne destemmed and crushed to ceramic egg for macerated on skins for an extended period, on average 120 days. The remaining batches were whole bunch basket pressed, and only the very lightest pressings are kept separate to be considered for the final blend. These are un-fined, unsettled and fermented exclusively in ceramic eggs. No sulphur is added until the completion of fermentation or the extended skin contact portions are removed from skins. Matured in ceramic egg after blending for a further 4 months. 59% of the final blend was skin contacted. Bottled December 2022. Certified Organic/Biodynamic.

Price Bracket $51 to $100
Type White
Body Medium Bodied
Variety Grenache Blanc
Country Australia
Region McLaren Vale
Australian State SA
Feature Biodynamic
Organic
Iconic
High Score
Reviewed By The Wine Front
The Real Review
James Suckling
Halliday Wine Companion
Critic Score 96
95
93
88
Alcohol 13%
Size 750ml
Vintage 2022
Closure Screw Cap

Yangarra

Yangarra Estate is one of a small group of powerhouse wineries to raise its head from the sandy soils of Blewitt Springs in McLaren Vale. Their wines are made entirely from an amazing old bush vine single vineyard, with the 2016 Halliday Winemaker of the Year, Peter Fraser, pulling the reins as winemaker. They are a certified biodynamic wine producer, and have even been named International Winery of the Year, twice!

They specialise in varieties found in the Rhone Valley. In the reds, their Grenache is as good as any in the land and is truly world class, with Shiraz and Mourvedre not far behind. The same applies to whites, the Roussanne expressions from Fraser’s experimentation with ceramic eggs are some of the most interesting in the country. In time, each of the 13 Rhone varieties will be grown on the Yangarra block.

A premium benchmark for the Blewitt Springs sub-region, and one of the country's modern day icon producers.

Winemaker Peter Fraser amongst the old bush vines McLaren Vale, SA Yangarra

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