Sauvignon Blanc 2015
Tasting Notes
The 2015 SB smells of cut grass, a hint of passionfruit and lantana. The palate is zippy with a very slight tropical and citrus palate. Absolutely nothing like a Kiwi SB, but then it’s a McLaren Vale organic Savvy B….. one of the best we have made, Joch and Nairn think
Vintage
We had a very early start to vintage in 2015, with generally mild conditions throughout. We had only a handful of hot days, which allowed natural acids to develop nicely. This was a very short, sharp vintage, with most winemakers finishing their vintage well before Easter. Yields were down, somewhere between 10 and 30% depending on variety. Joch’s take on the whole affair? ‘Fast, early and pretty’.
Winemaking
Making our Sauvignon Blanc has the whiff of a military operation about it. We need to pick the grapes early as we want to preserve the delicate aromatics of the grapes and not lose them. Joch always says with our Savvy that if the grapes on the vine taste of pineapple, we have left it too late. So, we make a lightning strike and pick in the cool of the night just as the grapes are beginning to take on the very faintest hint of the tropics. The key to the winemaking side of the Sauvignon Blanc is cool fermentation, so we ferment in stainless steel tanks which we can chill down. We don’t want the ferment to get up a head of steam and get hot. Our SB doesn’t spend any time in oak, although it does sit ‘sur lie’ (little bit of French for you there) which means it spends some time on the lees (yeast cells and grape solids; part and parcel of fermentation). Time spent on lees helps scavenge any oxygen – which helps preserve the wine, and adds some complexity and mouthfeel.
Other Vintages
Technical Details
Vineyards: Braden's, Edgehill and Wilcadene
Picking Date: 2nd, 3rd an 4th February 2015
Alc/Vol: 12.5%
Bottling Date: 2nd June 2015