GI: Adelaide Hills (Mount Lofty Ranges, South Australia)

Site(s): Grapes from all three estate vineyards: Rufus, Summit, and Iluma

Vintage notes: A significant difference to the two previous seasons was no late season frost, no hail and favorable weather around flowering for all grape varieties. The vine carried a bumper crop going into veraison! A much milder than average summer with no severe heat spikes resulted in a perfect long ripening season, allowing optimal ripening conditions for Ngeringa’s biggest crop to-date, over double the quantity harvested from the minuscule vintages of 2019 and 2020. It’s rare that amazing quality, concentration, and finesse come together with a vintage of good quantity but that is 2021 for Ngeringa.

Vineyard notes: Ngeringa’s three vineyard sites are all near the base of the Mount Barker Summit, totaling 5 hectares. They are part of a biodiverse 75 hectare biodynamic farm on the south-eastern edge of the Adelaide Hills. Mount Barker Summit defines these sites ranging from 330 to 420 meters of elevation all on easterly and westerly aspects. The soils are loam over clay, ironstone and micaceous schist. The whole farm is certified biodynamic and no chemical sprays, fertilizers or insecticides are used.

Winemaking: The syrah and pinot were picked relatively early for freshness and acidity, whole-bunch pressed and fermented in barrels and concrete eggs. The viognier and pink semillon were picked at good maturity level to express richer aromatics. Both were fermented with about 7 to 10 days skin contact before also being pressed into barrels. Once nearly dry, the syrah, pinot, viognier and pink semillon were blended and sweetened with some frozen juice to 14g/L before being bottled in the middle of June 2021. Fermentation finished in the bottle resulting in a light bubbly sparkling. No enzymes, no fining, no filtration.

Closure: Crown Cap ABV: 11%

Tasting notes: This lightly bubbly rosé has an aromatic nose of exotic flowers and musk, pithy grapefruit, fermenting muntries (a native pink orchard fruit), blood orange and citrus blossom. On the palate there it is a summery mixed fruit salad experience that is light and refreshingly fruity, yet with a dry textured finish and an undercurrent of stony minerality.

Label Design: Ngeringa bases all its branding and imagery on its relationship to the land: the logo makes the shape of Mount Barker Summit and their icon (pictured on the next page) is a circle representing the full moon, making reference to the BD practice and working with the rhythms of nature, with the she-oak inside of it.