Nose
The bouquet has the classical lifted Sauvignon Blanc botanical s of elder-flower, gooseberry with hints of tropical fruit and light caramel from the 10 months in oak barrels and the regular lees stirring.
Palate
Medium to full bodied with a silky texture that follows barrel fermentation and storage on yeast lees. The palate displays ripe gooseberry, white stone fruit and lychees. The natural acidity allows the flavours to be drawn out along the palate with a limey acidity giving subtle support to the long and intense finish
Growing Conditions
After a significantly wet winter with rainfall 30% above average, temperatures gradually crept up above the long-term ranges while rainfall fell well below norms as spring commenced.
The resultant warmer and drier soils provided ideal conditions for early root activity and thereby optimal access to soil nutrients. As varieties commenced their growth, we saw development of healthy, well-balanced canopies across the region.
Regular heat-waves through the months of October, November and December saw maximum daytime temperatures regularly in the mid 30's. These periods of high temperatures caused further acceleration in grape growth and development.
A strong low-pressure system combined with a deep through across the state saw the region experience strong and cold winds, with isolated hail events which negatively affected flowering and berry set.
A weak, cold front brought approximately 35mm of rain in late February to early March and daytime temperatures moderated from mid-March which was beneficial in slowing the ripening process down and allowing for the ripening of tannins and great flavor development. The small amount of rain was also considered a positive by those who own dry-grown vineyards or had little or no water available at this time for irrigation.
The growing season overall offered ideal conditions for a wide range of varieties, from early ripening whites to late ripening reds. The ideal weather and lower yields gave sufficient time for fruit to reach its best without the pressure of disease or the threat of poor conditions.
Harvest
The 2020 vintage will be remembered as one of the earliest vintages on record and for the great quality wines from lower than average yields, currently developing in wineries throughout the region.
An abundance of flowering native Marri trees in mid-January insured that the silvereye and other bird pests had an alternative food option to the ripening grapes. This combined with a dryer than average period post flowering through to berry version resulted in little or no fruit being damaged, dropped or left on the vines for either pests or disease.
Winemaking
The fruit was machine harvested in the early morning and was left on skins for 12 hours. The must was pressed to tank and the cloudy juice was settled overnight. The juice was transferred to French oak barrels with 20% being new and natural fermentation began after 4 days. Once the fermentation was complete fortnightly stirring of the yeast lees in barrels commenced this allows texture and palate creaminess to appear and continued up until bottling in November 2020
Aging
10 Years
Appearance
Vibrant Pale Straw
Food Pairing
Chicken Gyro Bowls
