Yangarra Estate Noir 2018

At the end of 2018 I made a wishlist of 3 things I’d like to see more of in 2019. And number 1 on the list was a request for more well-priced light reds.

Now, 4 months into the year, I’ve found EXACTLY what I was after.

This Yangarra Estate Noir 2018 is more than just a good value drink, however, it’s a watershed wine. Something that can change perspectives about what Australian red wine should/could taste like. And all for just $25 a bottle.

Amazing.

It’s a blend of 40% Grenache, 21% Mourvèdre, 14% Shiraz, 12% Cinsaut, 11% Carignan, 2% Counoise from estate-grown, certified organic fruit. So Chateauneuf, but in McLaren Vale. Fruit is hand picked and mechanically sorted, with 50% whole berries in the mix, the juice wild fermented before spending 10 months in old oak.

That’s a lot of care for a $25 red wine, and it shows in the finished product – the Noir is a perfectly pitched red. Only medium bodied, there’s an absolute riot of raspberry fruit. Juicy, vibrant, utterly addictive red and blackberry fruit, in a soft, but not unsubstantial mode. It’s plump. Generous. Softly spoken. Unadulterated. It’s a joven style, but with more structure and much more intensity than your average light red. And so so pure.

How can you not like this? Sure. it’s not going to cellar for decades. Nor is it a profound wine (the top Yangarra Grenache and Shiraz are more in that boat). But such profound drinking pleasure. And isn’t that wine is about?

Best drinking: Now to probably eight years plus. 18.5/20, 94/100. 14%, $25. Would I buy it? In a heartbeat.