Vintage and vintages: New release whites, reds and rosés

WHITES AND ROSÉS Fresh fruity wines from the 2021 vintage in white and pink are now being released. They’re delicious, youthful wines befitting the spring and summer weather about to come.

The 2021 vintage in McLaren Vale was exceptional, some winemakers are marking it one of the best this century. It came as a welcome relief after a tough 2020. The great season was due to a wet winter which allowed the vines to produce a good canopy, and a cool and dry summer for even ripening. Oliver’s Taranga revelled in the low summer temperatures, which have gifted us even, slow ripening conditions for the fruit, producing good flavours, with fine tannins and lovely acid. The Vermentino displays zesty lemony acid, fresh honey florals and sea breeze, a touch of fruit tingle on the finish. Talcum powder tannins give a savoury line. A no brainer with fresh seafood. $27 RRP

The 2021 vintage was exceptional, with almost perfect weather ensuring full ripeness, good acidity and great flavour development. Our 2021 Vermentino is so deliciously crisp and dry. It is pale straw in colour with green edges and exhibits attractive aromas of fresh pear, orange blossom and lemon peel. The citrus flavours flow onto the palate which shows lovely minerality that the variety is known for and a long zesty finish. Perfect with seafood – think calamari or fried white bait.

Vintages at the beginning are always good, this one just got better every day. The primary reason was of course nature’s gift – an ideal growing year. We chose to pick a wee bit later, to give full fruit flavour but still bright, fresh acidity and crunch, tannin and earth texture. Our Aglianico Rose is hand-picked and whole bunch pressed into stainless, wild yeast fermented and left to go dry naturally after four weeks. This is a full-bodied rose for all-year-round drinking, juicy and puckering, with some orange and grapefruit pithiness but with an authentic varietal savoury and mineral crunch.

An extremely great vintage for McLaren Vale, where we experienced the best growing conditions in recent years. 2021 produced slow ripening bunches provided by the cooler weather creating good flavours, particularly in shiraz, with powerful flavour and subtle tannins. The Vine Shed Rose is semi-crushed with minimal skin contact, then cool-tank fermented. This wine is semi dry with flavours and aromas of watermelon, raspberries, and strawberries.

In a year generally characterised by bad news, with bushfires and a pandemic dominating the headlines, local wine growers experienced a phenomenal year. Winemakers reflect on how this extraordinary year shaped the wines released in 2021.

REDS Reds take a thoughtful journey from vintage to release, making their way carefully after maturation in barrels or tanks through to bottle and then only released when the tannins have matured or the winemaker deems them ready. These current releases span 2018 through to 2021.

Mother Nature was definitely kinder for vintage 2021. All varieties performed well in Langhorne Creek with average yields. As an early adopter of montepulciano in Australia, we’re excited to release our 2021 vintage. A medium-bodied wine showing lifted aromas of violets and red fruits, with a bright palate of dark cherries and raspberries shining through, pour a glass or two to enjoy with wood-fired pizza.

The 2021 harvest was a largely stress-free occasion with plenty of rain and sunshine. A long cool ripening period with no disease led to excellent yields and ripeness, happy growers and happy makers all over McLaren Vale. The current release 2019 Grenache is drinking well, with sour cherry, pomegranate and cranberry. Chill down slightly in the fridge for a perfect warmer-weather red.

This is a fun, modern, drink-now style designed to be approachable in its youth. The 2020 vintage with its long ripening period allowed for flavour development with retention of lively acid with moderate alcohol at optimum flavour ripeness. Grenache lends a beautiful fresh burst of fruit, the mourvedre mid-palate weight with savoury tannin, and the touriga brings its characteristic perfumed floral aromatics to the party.

The School Block needs no introduction, and the 2018 new release continues its consistent style and quality. It’s earthy and savoury with rich plummy overtones padded with blackcurrant and blue fruits on the palate, subtle, elegant oak with developed a tight mouth coating tannin. The newly released 2018 School Block completes the set, younger, fruitier, but softer – the perfect go-to wine. Great drinking now.

Fresh local produce including fruit, veg, meat, olive oil, cheese, wine and all your weekly essentials can be found every Saturday morning in Willunga. We look forward to welcoming you.

*New location – Willunga High – 1km south of Town Square

www.willungafarmersmarket.com.au

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