Good winter and early spring rains were followed by a generally dry and mild growing season. After the leaner vintages of 2019 and 2020 it was nice to see a return to long term average crop levels. We had a slow and steady ripening period without any excessive heat spikes which has resulted in super varietal fruit intensity and balanced natural acidity.

A Mary Poppins kind of vintage; practically perfect! Joch is always loathe to comment favourably about vintage quality,  for fear of jinxing things – he can be superstitious like that, but by the end of harvest, the word ‘exceptional’ was heard to come out of his mouth.

We have been making SB from our organic vineyards for a long time now, and although McLaren Vale may not be the first region that springs to mind when you think of Sauvignon Blanc, it is entirely possible to make a ripper Savvy from the Vale.

If you grow the grapes properly, harvest at the right time (just before you get those tropical characters so beloved by the Kiwis), pick at night to preserve the delicate characters and let the grapes go through a cool ferment, then it can be done. Example; the BoB SB

Restrained and sophisticated is how we like this wine. We ferment in stainless steel and don’t use any oak barrels at all in the making of the wine (although we allow it to sit on its gross lees – the slightly cloudy bits at the bottom of the tank comprising yeast cells and bits of grape) to develop texture. We fine the wine using VEGAN -friendly products (potato, actually) before bottling.  

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