Yangarra Ovitelli Blanc 2023

Here we have a wine made up of 55% Grenache Blanc, 17% Grenache Gris, 17% Roussanne, 7% Clairette and 4% Bourboulenc. All handpicked and sorted separately. Portions of the Grenache Blanc and Roussanne saw an average of 7 months on skins in Clayver ceramic egg, with a total of 47% of the final blend having seen skin contact. The remainder was basket pressed. This is a textural delight while still feeling finespun with a masterful balance of flavour and structure, and any hint of overtness swept into linearity by architectural structure. Baked peach, poached apple and pastry dough make way for a twang of saline preserved lemon, bosc pear, greengage, cinnamon spice and fig leaf. Some hazelnut and tonic notes emerge with air adding further dimension around the fruit. There’s breadth and delicate richness here, but also lovely freshness. The palate is mouth-filling and textural with a lovely cut of tensile white fruit in white nectarine and bosc pear before yielding to yellow apple, cinnamon and nectarine with a firm sheath of powdery preserved lemon phenolics providing good frame and carry to long length. The nutty nuance dancing in the mouth perfume. An excellent release. Points: 95/100

Wine Pilot ∙ 28th Jun 2025

Texture, flavour and presence. I love this wine. It tastes of salt, nashi pears, preserved lemon, citrus rind, nectarine and a mash of fruit skins. It’s dry, saline, pebbly and charismatic. A rose petal note develops as it breathes. It has a tonic-and-gin element. Of its own design, it’s beautiful. Points: 95/100

The Wine Front ∙ 13th May 2025