The Beach with No Brine

Yangarra Estate covers 420 acres, 250 acres of which is vineyard. About 170 acres of the vineyard are Grenache and Shiraz, much of it comprised of old bush vines planted in 1946.

The heart of Yangarra is the ancient wind-blown dune of grey Ngankipari Sand. This sand is not marine, like the nearby coastal sands, but the totally weathered remains of a mighty mountain range long gone. This sand lies over various types of moisture-retentive clays with sporadic ironstone outcrops. The locals call this glorious sandy slope The Beach.

But there's no brine on this beach - the Gulf's a twenty minute drive away.

While the remaining South Mount Lofty Ranges are a much more humble feature than the glacier-laced peaks that were there long ago, they are nevertheless sufficiently elevated to spill cool evening breezes over Yangarra.

During the day, constant breezy humidity of the nearby Gulf St. Vincent gives McLaren Vale more of a maritime atmosphere than most Australian wine regions. Add the extra elevation which the sandy dunes provide Yangarra Estate, and you have a microclimate that is considerably cooler than most of McLaren Vale's vineyards.

View a Vineyard Map

In the Vineyard with Michael Lane - View PDF