Yangarra Estate Vineyard 2017 McLaren Vale 'ROUX BEAUTE' #ROUSSANNE - Matured in ceramic eggs on skins. Complex subtle aromas, fabulous intricate flavours & great texture, lovely viscosity & brilliant taste- A BRILLIANT-VERY APPEALING WINE !!

Light gold colour with bright green highlights. Rich aromas of sliced stonefruits, warm dripping wax, magnolia flower, preserved lemon and sweeter subtle toffee. Carries the same depth and richness across the palate, yet with definite energy and and drive. The flavour persists long with a firm texture. 18.50/20.

Drinking white wine in the sun A serious white for a winegeek's dinner party: 2016 Yangarra Roux Beauté Roussanne, McLaren Vale, $72 The roussanne grape isn't short of flavour or richness, and this one has added layers of complexity from extended skin contact and fermentation in big ceramic eggs. It's fabulously rich and textural and mouth-filling, but perfectly balanced, too.

This fragrant and richly textural white wine was fermented in two, 675-litre, egg-shaped ceramic vessels, one filled with crushed fruit – skins, pips and all – and one with just juice. The crushed fruit batch spent 160 days on skins before being siphoned off; the finished wine is a blend of the two eggs. It's sensual fluid that caresses the tongue.

Arguably Australia’s finest roussanne, this wine is all about profound complexity and alluring texture. It was made from grapes grown in sandy, gravelly soil; wild yeast fermented and aged in large ceramic eggs, with two-thirds of the blend spending four-and-a-half months on skins before being pressed off. The result isn’t funky and tannic, though, as you might expect: instead it’s fine and floral, with a full, silky texture that caresses the tongue. Absolutely spellbinding.

A Toast to Earth Day - The Biodynamic Wines of Yangarra This was a beautiful silky Roussanne with a wonderful bouquet on the nose of fruit, floral and spice. With just the right amount of acid, this wine left a long lingering finish on the palate. This was an exceptional Rousanne that stood out in its style and personality.

Yangarra Estate Vineyard: Southern Rhône Specialists in South Australia’s McLaren Vale 2016 Yangarra Estate Vineyard Roussanne — medium yellow in the glass with aromas of pears, dried oat hay and dusty gravel. Flavors of white peach, pear, oat hay, dusty gravel and lingering spice combine for a complex flavor profile in a medium body with bright acidity. Flavors last a very long time. This is a substantial and balanced white wine. This is a lovely, serious white wine. Its complexity will keep you thinking about what you’re tasting. I want to say this is a brilliant food wine, because of its body and acidity, but don’t overlook its sipping potential as well. Pair it with creamy pasta, chicken or fish.

Rich and complex, but not skimping on either the energy or the stone fruits. A-.

Yangarra is home to more than 15 grape varieties traditionally associated with the southern Rhône, including Grenache, Carignan, Bourboulenc and - notably - Roussanne. This small-scale bottling is a blend of two batches of Roussanne fermented in Peter Fraser’s ceramic eggs - one on skins for 120 days, one just juice. At this early stage you can see both, slightly out of registration - fragrant and honeysuckly to smell, rich and savoury on the tongue - but a couple of years more in bottle should see the components merge.

Beyond amphorae, Fraser is fascinated with aspects of the natural wine scene, despite his training in traditional enology. He made a 2013 Roussanne, fermented with its own wild yeasts, that he left on its skins for 120 days, a recipe for phenolic extraction that can lead to odd colors and flavors. For me, if you get the wine right, it doesn't have to be orange, he said. This was bright and clear. I found it tangy, with an open texture, excellent length, yielding hints of grapefruit, sealing wax, banana and earthy spice notes.

Gosh they really are serious about the Rhône...! Four acres of this rare (in Oz) variety grown on their own estate on two east-facing, sandy ironstone ridges. Very creditable nose. A bit fatter and less nervy than some north Rhône examples but a creditable bargain alternative to Beaucastel Vieilles Vignes. Herbs on the nose and a lively level of acidity. Body + citrus. A good, useful drink. Maybe the acid is just a tad prominent.

Peaches, minerals and spice, crisp and lean.

Only light Viognier character on the nose, but a hint of dried apricot. Tight rather than opulent - perhaps making a point? This doesn't seem very charming yet. But maybe the savoury aspect will resolve into something a bit more serious?

Yangarra’s new ‘heat-resistant’ blend called Blanc an Australian first Yangarra Estate Vineyard has released a new ‘heat-resistant’ blend of white varieties sourced in Chateauneuf-du-Pape and grown on newly planted cuttings on the estate. Yangarra 2018 Blanc is a blend of Grenache Blanc (35 percent), Clairette (30 percent), Roussanne (20 percent), Picpoul (10 percent) and Bourboulenc (five percent).

A new direction for McLaren Vale wine Here’s a brand new blend for Australia: a push into realms paler than that posh pink above. Convinced that his upland old vine Grenache indicated a very special affinity between Yangarra and the north-west Mediterranean, winemaker Peter Fraser has spent 10 years importing the white varieties of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. This wine is a certified biodynamic/organic blend of Grenache Blanc (35 per cent), Clairette (30 per cent), Roussanne (20 per cent), Picpoul (10 per cent) and Bourboulenc (5 per cent). It was made with indigenous yeast in 675-litre ceramic fermenting eggs...

...medium-bodied and nicely balanced, with nuances of peach and pear and a crisp, long finish, a good any-occasion chardonnay.

...a generously fruity wine with classic tropical fruit and citrus flavors and a long finish. Its crisp acidity is a marked difference...

Rosé Wines (mostly from Oregon) for the Summer of 2019 I bought this at the winery after taking my mom wine tasting on Mother’s Day. We all fell in love with it (even my mom, who only ever enjoys Moscato). Now this one tastes nothing like Moscato, but everything that’s delicious about Oregon rosé. It’s fresh, clean, bright, and very mildly tart in finish (in the best way). Mild cherry, some citrus, mild minerality on finish Very mild and fresh, this Provence style rosé is going to be one I’ll reach for again this summer.

What To Drink Now: Rosé All Day Willakenzie Willamette Valley Rosé of Pinot Noir melds fresh cranberry, tangerine, and bitter orange.

Wines Perfect for Every Type of Easter Dish Check out these perfect wine pairings for every favorite Easter dish, from brunch to dinner, casual or festive. WillaKenzie Estate 2018 Rosé Willamette Valley and a Chicken Salad. Did you sign up to bring the salad for Easter brunch or dinner? Don’t worry, the salad won’t be just another boring side dish if you bring a bottle of this rosé to pair. This Oregon bottle is one of our go-to’s when it comes to food-friendly rosés. It’s a perfect batch to cold chicken served on a bed of greens with goat cheese and any other spring veggies. It will also go so well with so many other foods on the table. It’s fruitiness and citrus zest notes pair well with the similar notes of spring foods.

Wine of the Week: Rosé all day It only makes sense that a region that makes world-class pinot noir would also produce a world-class rosé made from pinot noir. The inaugural vintage of the 2017 WillaKenzie Estate Rosé from the Willamette Valley in Oregon sets a high bar. It offers up plenty of ripe red strawberry and citrus-centric aromas on the fragrant bouquet, and lightly textured flavors of bright red berries, cranberry, and watermelon that’s perfect for a hot summer day. The high acidity and minerality keep the wine refreshing and bright on the finish. A delightful match with seafood and rotisserie chicken; perfect for a picnic.

Pink wines continue to grow in popularity From Oregon’s Willamette Valley...and juicy WillaKenzie Estate.