2026 Cinsault

The 2026 vintage in McLaren Vale was shaped by a cool, wet spring followed by a warm, dry summer and a cooler, slower finish to harvest. Early-season conditions slowed vine growth, while cool weather during flowering contributed to variable fruit set and naturally lower yields. Two January heatwaves brought warmer conditions before cooler temperatures and April rainfall slowed ripening and extended the harvest. This longer ripening period supported excellent flavour development and freshness, delivering wines with concentration, balance and clear varietal definition.

The 0.5ha of Cinsault vines planted in 2021 are thriving in the sandy, well-drained soils of the Christies Beach Formation. This block shows strong early growth and even canopy development, benefiting from the McLaren Vale climate with warm days and cooling coastal influences that support slow, even ripening. The variety is being grown primarily for a light, fresh dry Cinsault and is also a fantastic component in our delicate, aromatic rosé. Yields are being carefully managed to enhance flavour concentration while preserving the variety's characteristic freshness, red fruit aromatics, and soft, silky tannins. This vintage we had help handpicking our Cinsault, and we all have very fond memories of the pickers eating the Cinsault as we were picking it. Not only is it a fantastic and versatile wine grape variety but delicious to eat freshly plucked off the vine. I am surprised any fruit made it into the winery!

The fruit was handpicked at 11 Baume to showcase Cinsault's ability to produce a lower-alcohol wine while retaining vibrant, juicy red fruit flavours. The grapes were gently destemmed, with 20% of the fruit kept as whole bunches to add lift and texture. Fermentation proceeded slowly with careful temperature control, after which the wine remained on skins for one month to build structure, aromatics, and subtle tannin. After maceration, the wine was pressed and matured briefly in neutral French puncheons to preserve its fresh, vibrant fruit character.