Nose
The bouquet is a lifted cornucopia of quince, gooseberry, feijoa, Rose’s Lime Marmalade, torn
herbs, lantana and lemon myrtle, complexed by mineral notes, hints of struck match and wax,
all overlaid with a gloss of spicy oak.
Palate
Medium bodied in the mouth and tighter than the 2008. The palate has a creamy texture and
shows assertive, powerful flavours of gooseberry, nectarine and toasty oak with savoury notes
that give it great sapidity. The flavours are mouth-filling yet corseted by defined lemon
sherbet acidity. The weight, intensity, texture and balance of the wine all work together
effortlessly – there is nothing forced or contrived – and the persistence of flavour is
astonishing.
Growing Conditions
A wet and warm spring extended well into December and made for a late start to a gentle
summer. These wet conditions coincided with flowering and contributed to poor fruit set and
consequent low yields in most varieties. A warm March allowed for full ripeness in white
varieties and, after a cool week in early April, the Indian summer returned and remained well
into May. Albeit protracted, the vintage finished in warm and dry autumn conditions that
proved near perfect for ripening. The resulting white wines show an abundant array of
varietal expression which is both complex, rich and pure.
Winemaking
All blocks used to make the Suckfizzle Sauvignon Blanc Semillon are hand-picked and vinified
separately. The Baumé range for the Sauvignon Blanc is 12.0° Bé to 12.5° Bé and the
Semillon 11.5° Bé to 12.0° Bé. After cooling overnight, the grapes are whole fruit pressed.
The free run juice is lightly settled then transferred to barrel for fermentation in 100% new
French oak barriques. At the end of the alcoholic fermentation, the percentage of new oak is
reduced to 50% for the barrel maturation phase. In December of the vintage year the
component wines are racked off gross lees and blended, on the basis of quality and style. The
blend is always Sauvignon Blanc dominate. Further barrel maturation continues until July of
the following year. Bottling occurs in August of the first year post vintage and the wine
subsequently undergoes at least 18 months of bottle maturation before release.
Appearance
Brilliant pale lemon shot through with green highlights.
Food Pairing
Coquilles Saint-Jacques, grilled baby pink snapper with new potatoes
and salsa verde, smoked eel with samphire & horseradish
