Jackson Family's Chris Carpenter works on his first Australian wine

(Decanter) - Jackson Family Wines winemaker Chris Carpenter is preparing to blend the first wine from the company’s latest McLaren Vale acquisition.

The California producer bought the renowned Clarendon Estate Vineyards – supplier of grapes to Penfolds Grange and Eileen Hardy Shiraz – in February 2012.

The 186ha estate was owned by the Hickinbotham family, and is held in high regard for its Shiraz, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon, but also produces Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier.

The new wine, a Cabernet-Shiraz blend, will be ‘like the Bin 60A’, Carpenter told Decanter.com, referring to the legendary Penfolds Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon/Barossa Shiraz blend, of which only two vintages have ever been released, the 1962 and the 2004.

‘We’ll be blending in a month, the wine will be bottled in December and released in June or July 2014,’ Carpenter said.

This is his first Australian wine. Jackson Family owns another McLaren Vale estate, Yangarra, which is overseen by Peter Fraser and which produces only Rhone varietals.

Fraser will be taking charge of the Shiraz for the new wine, while Carpenter will concentrate on the Cabernet. They will then collaborate on the blending.

‘It’s brand spanking new to me,’ he said, adding that he would put ‘a Carpenter slant’ on the Cabernet, which would have more in common with the cool-climate reds of Western Australia than with South Australian wines.