Junto 2021

Junto comes from several McLaren Vale vineyards, in South Australia, including plots of old vines planted on sandy soils. This Mediterranean blend draws its finesse from the sands of Blewitt Springs and its relief from the stonier terroirs of the wider McLaren Vale area.

The grapes are harvested by hand and handled gently. Fermentation takes place with native yeasts, including a proportion of whole bunches to bring tension and aromatic lift. The wine is then aged for around eight months in large, neutral French oak barrels, preserving the radiance of the fruit and the freshness of the blend.

This wine reveals notes of raspberry, strawberry, cherry, pomegranate, red plum, dried herbs, black olive, mild pepper, liquorice and dried flowers. The palate, supple and succulent, keeps lovely vivacity thanks to fine, nervy acidity. Powdery tannins frame juicy, medium-weight fruit, while the savoury finish combines red fruit, spice and herbal freshness.

Australia began making wine more than two centuries ago. The result is a country rich in old vines, multi-generational winemaking families and deep-rooted knowledge of and respect for the craft. Add to that a thirst for exploration and innovation, a fearless attitude and a varied portfolio of 65 wine regions across many climates, and you have the makings of an extraordinary wine country like few others. Australia burst onto export markets in the 1980s and has since been offering the whole world dynamic, fruity wines of exceptional value. Until the late 1990s and early 2000s, the story of Australian wine was dominated by overly concentrated examples of Shiraz, Grenache and red blends. Between these two extremes lies the diversity of Australia's high-quality and regional wines, which has always existed. Australian viticulture is mainly concentrated along the southern ocean fringe, where conditions are cooler. There are four main wine regions, located around the major cities: Western Australia around Perth, South Australia around Adelaide, Victoria around Melbourne and New South Wales around Sydney. The country is one of the world's largest wine producers and was the 4th-largest exporter in the world in 2011. This recent development has made Australia one of the most prominent countries for the quality of its wines. You can taste Australian wines all over the country. Each Australian region has its own grape varieties. Australian wines are defined by their grape variety, unlike French wines, which are defined by their terroir.