2024 Vanguardist V Mourvedre

96 pts
Vanguardist |McLaren Vale |Mataro/Mourvedre
Perfumed and powerful McLaren Vale Mourvedre (Mataro) from Vanguardist. Savoury, complex and more full-bodied than its Grenache sibling.

Price:
Sale price$74.00
Stock:
In stock, ready to ship, only 5 units left
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Description

Vanguardist is one of just a handful of Australian producers championing Mourvèdre as a varietal wine. Michael Corbett is a staunch advocate for the variety, and this single-site expression from Blewitt Springs is a clear example of why. It’s grown just a stone's throw from his benchmark Grenache site, on the same sandy soils that define this pocket of the Vale.

The 2024 vintage captures that classic "wild" Mourvèdre personality. After a dry, warm run home into harvest, the fruit was hand-picked and fermented with about a third whole bunches. It spent 18 months in old French puncheons, including a second winter in oak, which has helped round out the variety's naturally boisterous tannins. It’s got the rare balance of being a "big" savoury wine that still feels light on its feet.

It’s a very Rhone-adjacent style, loaded with blackberry, blueberry, and those signature gamey, wild herb notes. The mouthfeel is sinewy and chewy, with a distinct blood-orange acidity and a salty, mineral finish that pulls everything together. It’s a serious, complex red that’s built for the cellar, but it’s so well-knit that it’s hard to resist right now.

96+ points
"Umami notes, kombu and roasted nori. Bountiful, detailed, fine and unmistakably natural tannins complete an exceptional package."
- Marcus Ellis (Halliday Wine Companion)

95 points
"Plum, spices, floral notes, an earthy new leather guttural thing lends great appeal, black pepper, almond paste, some green herb, but such perfume!.. Very good. Mataro fanciers will be well pleased."
- Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

96+ points - "The last year for fruit from this source in Blewitt Springs, with the Lennon vineyard likely filling the void. Anyway, this from a peerless source, fermented with about a third whole bunches and a month on skins, then pressed to a pair of puncheons, two and five years old. There was also a vintage skipped in '23, but there are clear echoes of the excellent '22. Blue fruits and florals, iodine, lilac, crème de violette, lavender, blackberry, saltbush, pepper, star anise, celery salt, a graphite mineral quality, cracked slate, something maritime, a winter oyster’s briny intensity. Umami notes, kombu and roasted nori. Bountiful, detailed, fine and unmistakably natural tannins complete an exceptional package." - Marcus Ellis (Halliday Wine Companion)

95 points - "One third whole bunch. Two puncheons, one two year old, the other five years old. From the Yangarra Vineyard, and I believe the last one from this site.

Plum, spices, floral notes, an earthy new leather guttural thing lends great appeal, black pepper, almond paste, some green herb, but such perfume! Medium-bodied, quite soft and nutty, dried herbs, some orange peel, sandy and suede-like tannin, with plenty of grip on the finish, closes with spice and perfume. Very good. Mataro fanciers will be well pleased." - Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

The Vanguardist range represents the epitome of what we are about. Pushing the realms of standard winemaking to deliver intrigue, excitement and full recognition of this special and distinct terroir. Ultimate dedication to the craft of viticulture and winemaking, encapsulated in a bottle – through our lens.


SINGLE SITE: MOURVÈDRE SOURCED FROM BLEWITT SPRINGS, MCLAREN VALE


VINEYARD:
At the core of our winemaking philosophy is a profound belief in the potential of Rhône varieties here in South Australia. This focus is an integral part of our master plan, guiding every step of our winemaking journey. This is the fourth iteration of this wine, and grown just a stone's throw away from the Vanguardist Grenache (Rende) site. We have become staunch advocates of the potential Mourvèdre, presented as a single variety, and how it is defined in the Australian terroir.

VINTAGE:
The season began under unsettled conditions, with significant rainfall and strong winds through flowering. As the season progressed, conditions shifted dramatically, turning dry and warm, with a notable February heatwave tightening the harvest window and intensifying fruit concentration.

Despite these challenges, the vintage has delivered wines with structure, depth, and impressive length, with Grenache and Syrah once again proving their ability to endure and excel.

HARVEST:
Hand harvested on the 14th March.

VINIFICATION:
Approximately one-third of the fruit was retained as whole bunches and was fermented gently for one month before drain and press. The wine was then matured for 18 months in two puncheons, one two years old and the other five years old, before being racked in early spring in preparation for bottling in December.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Closure: DIAM Origine 10
FS02: at bottling 23ppm
TSO2: 58ppm
pH: 3.78
TA: 5.9g/L
Alcohol: 13.6%

Price Bracket $51 to $100
Type Red
Body Full Bodied
Variety Mataro/Mourvedre
Country Australia
Region McLaren Vale
Australian State SA
Feature High Score
Reviewed By The Wine Front
Halliday Wine Companion
Critic Score 96
Alcohol 13.5%
Size 750ml
Vintage 2024
Closure DIAM Cork

Vanguardist

Vanguardist is an up and coming producer from McLaren Vale started by three friends after many long nights in Hawkes Bay talking about their shared love of wine.

Their mission is to bring premium, authentic, small-batch wines to a market they see as crowded by "overly commercialised wines produced by corporates who take up all the elbow room."

They source very high-quality fruit from great vineyards across South Australia, looking to build wines with texture and vibrancy.

With experienced winemaker Michael Corbett at the helm, the future looks bright for this plucky challenger brand.

Winemaker Michael Corbett Vanguardist

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