DRUNK TURTLE Cocciopesto Opus used on Yangarra Bush-vine Grenache

As fall sets in, the seasons change, the last of the reds start to hit the crush pad and the end of the harvest tunnel appears, we would like to focus on the special relationship between Italian supplier Drunk Turtle and Australian producer, Yangarra. 

The Yangarra Hickinbotham Clarendon old bush-vine grenache is made solely in Drunk Turtle Cocciopesto Opuses and the combination of grenache and cocciopesto makes for a fruity and expressive yet savory and complex style of grenache perfect for your fall holiday season table, but light enough on it's feet to chill inside of the fridge and enjoy without food. 

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Drunk Turtle, Pisa, Italy

Drunk Turtle is a family-owned company located in the outskirts of Pisa. Since 2014, the Brini family have been crafting eggs that they term opus from "Cocciopesto", an ancient Roman concrete building material. Through close collaboration with the University of Pisa, Drunk Turtle have perfected their Cocciopesto recipe which includes clay, marl, terracotta and limestone which are cast in molds and left to air dry. Available in 5HL, 10HL, 15HL and 20HL sizes, the egg shape of the Opus are ideal for fermenting and aging whites while the external hatch door also make the ideal for reds. 

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Yangarra Estate Winery & Peter Fraser

The vineyards and winery are located in South Australia's McLaren Vale wine region and encompasses some 420 hectares. It's original bush-vine grenache plantings go back to the 1946 Lalla Rookh vineyard. In 2000, the property was purchased by California's Jackson Family Wines and Peter Fraser was put in charge as Head Winemaker and General Manager. Since then, a focus has been placed on making the estate an Iconic Rhône producer and focusing on dry farmed, bush-vine grenache vineyards also known as "South Australia Pinot Noir". 

Focus on old vines & Grenache

In 2008, Yangarra pivoted towards organic and biodynamic farming. Over half the estate is planted to old vines (over 35 years old) in sandy soil sites including it's 1962 Hickinbotham Clerendon vineyard. Around this time Yangarra also moved towards native ferments and experimenting with larger format oak (Foudres and 600L Demi-Muids over barrels), concrete and ceramic eggs and Drunk Turtle Cocciopetso Opus. As a result, the Yangarra Hickinbotham grenache sees 100% Drunk Turtle Cocciopesto Opus from start to finish including, fermentation, maceration and aging. 

Winemaking at a Glance on the Hickinbotham Grenache

In 2019, Yangarra purchased it's first Drunk Turtle Cocciopesto Opuses and currently has a collection of over 12 Opus 17's and 15's that are specifically used for grenache production. Handpicked dry farmed bush-vine grenache is 100% destemmed and transferred to Opus where it starts fermenting naturally with nature yeasts. 

Maceration is done extremely gently foregoing punchdown and instead simply wetting the cap, in order to capture the fruitier and more fragrant aromatics and textures of grenache. 

After an average of 90 days on the skins, only the free run is transferred back into Opus where it will undergo malolactic fermentation and age for between 10 to 15 months before bottling. 

In order to preserve as much old vine fruit character as possible, no new oak is used: only Drunk Turtle Cocciopesto Opus is used from start to finish on this wine. The breathable cocciopesto material allows the wine to evolve with a slight micro-oxidation and promotes a powdery salivating tannin profile that reminiscent of the sandy Mclaren Vale soils where the grenache is grown.