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K-J BUYS MCLAREN VALE VINEYARD ERINGA PARK

Published:  23 July, 2008

Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates (through its subsidiary Kendall-Jackson Australia Pty Ltd) has completed the purchase of Eringa Park, a 172 hectares (ha) ranch in the McLaren Vale, South Australia. The price has not been disclosed. Some 97ha are planted primarily to red grapes, including an old vine Grenache vineyard planted in 1923. Other varieties include: Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Nebbiolo, along with a small Chardonnay section. The flagship vineyard was part of 153-year-old Australian wine producer Normans Wines. In September, Kendall-Jackson introduced Yangarra Park, its new Australian brand, under the direction of former Normans winemaker Peter Fraser. Yangarra Park, which translates from a local Aboriginal dialect roughly as from the Earth'), claims to offer the Best Australian Varietal Wines Under $10' in its first releases, with plans to introduce a reserve tier, focused on The Best Australian Varietal Wines From The Best Appellations', late in 2002. Eringa Park, which will be renamed Yangarra Park, is located in the eastern part of the McLaren Vale wine district, in the South Mt Lofty foothills, at an elevation of 591 feet, slightly higher than is normal in the district. It is one of the largest vineyards in the area. The ranch includes buildings which could be a future estate winery, according to K-J president John Grant. Grant says the purchase follows a traditional K-J approach of research into wine growing regions, individual vineyards and a desire to stand alone, without partners, in order to direct the production of quality wines from every region in which the company operates, including Italy, Chile and Argentina. Eringa Park allows K-J to plant its flag' in Australia. The focus for Yangarra Park will be to source fruit from the best growers in the best wine growing regions in cool-climate areas of South Australia', Grant said. K-J Winemaster Randy Ullom and other specialists evaluated the vineyards. Soil types vary from deep sands over clay to alluvial loams at the lower elevations, with various clays and clay loams ranging in between. Vineyards have been planted from the early '70s through to 1999, with Cabernet Sauvignon (33ha) as the largest planting.

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