It makes a difference when one has an opportunity to drink a whole range of a winery's wines. You start to really understand the style. This happened to me lately when I tasted the Grace wines from Japan, and now also when I tasted the new releases from Yangarra. Let's start with the white wines.
The 2021 Yangarra Blanc is the entry level wine. It includes 5 Rhône varieties, with Grenache Blanc being in the majority. It is not a very detailed wine, but very clean, with white peach flavours, pear, and a whiff of hazelnut, although it does not see any oak, to my knowledge. The wine is texture focussed, with a satisfying, light mouthfeel. It lingers delicately on the palate. Much more than a quaffer.
Score: 90/++
The 2021 Ovitelli Blanc is a step up. It is a blend of Grenache Blanc and Roussanne. 50% of the wine has spent more than 100 days on skins, yet the colour is quite pale. According to Peter Fraser, the winemaker, this is because the wine sees no sulphur at this stage. While sulphur is meant to purify wine, it actually binds skin colour to the wine, which is why many wines on skin are quite deep in colour. This wine is very clean and light, yet with a bigger mouthfeel than the Blanc.
Score: 92/++
The final white wine is the 2021Roux Beaute Roussanne. Minus the Grenache Blanc, this wine sings at a lower octave with more apricot flavours. Otherwise, it has the same skin treatment and a similar feel; clean, with a good line, and a saline component. This is not a fat wine, as Roussanne can sometimes be. This is an excellent white, if you had enough Chardonnay.
Score: 94/++
The white wines have great purity and are excellent examples of texture based wines. Grenache Blanc, seldom seen in Australia, plays an attractive role.
2 comments:
Interesting comments. Thoughts on Grenache Blanc generally? I thought it's meant to be more of a "filler" grape than the main star as I understand it can get a bit broad and simple?
I opened a '20 Ovitelli Blanc for friends last year and while pleasant, very overt apple notes to all of us. Would've much rather had 2 of the entry level Blanc for its price.
Grenache Blanc is not grown much in Australia. And you are right, it can be described as a 'filler' grape. The Ovitelli Blanc has about 50% Roussanne in it, which gives the wine some weight, but I understand your value for money argument. It is certainly not nearly as interesting as the Ovitelli Grenache.
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