2010 Fumè Sauvignon Blanc
Winemakers - 2010 Fumè Sauvignon Blanc
Blend:
100% Sauvignon Blanc
Region:
Rado Vineyard, Pemberton, Western Australia
Bottled:
Bottled January 2011
Release Date:
March 2011
Technical Data:
- Alcohol 13.0%vol
- Total Acidity 6.0 gm/lt
- pH 3.39
- Residual Sugar <2gm/lt
Winemaker:
Simon Burnell and Jane Dunkley
Winemakers Notes:
~Style~
Sauvignon Blanc - but not as we know it. Lashings of tropical fruit, but with extra depth, complexity and some funk.
~Background~
We have chosen to call the wine Fumé (French for smoked) so as to distinguish this style from the classically simple fresh fruity antipodean (Australia and NZ) models of Sauvignon Blanc. The term is derived from what the vignerons of the Loire Valley in the lower north east of France call the Sauvignon Blanc grape - Blanc Fumé. The Loire is the home of the Sauvignon Blanc variety (along with Bordeaux, where it is generally blended with Semillon as in WA). The Fumé Blanc adaptation was first used by Californian Robert Mondavi in the 1970s. Here we have sought to build a wine which still screams "Sauvignon Blanc", but with additional layers of texture and complexity. The fruit was sourced from (arguably) the best vineyard in a region (Pemberton) known for the intensity of its Sauvignon Blanc. Roughly half the wine was a classically cool, clean tank ferment to protect the variety's trademark aromatics, whilst the other half was given the whole kit-bag of complexity building winemaking. It was hand picked and whole bunch pressed to French oak barriques (10% new) where it was allowed to undergo a warm natural fermentation and then remain on yeast lees for a further 8 months with regular stirring to build texture. There was no malolactic fermentation.
~Facts and Figures~
The season: Another excellent season.....A typically wet and windy winter and early spring came to a screeching halt as the vines started to hit their straps in October. The main growing season through to the end of April was consistently a degree or so warmer and 20% drier than the 30 year average, with less than 100mm of rain falling over those six months. A lack of significant extremes allowed us to avoid any vine-stress and harvest each variety in optimal condition.
Vineyards : Two adjoining blocks around 5km North of Pemberton. Both on classic free draining WA "Marri soil" (a layer of ironstone gravely loam over reddish friable clay). Both have a gentle Easterly aspect.
~Tasting Notes~
Appearance: Pale straw with a hint of green
Nose: Whacko! Oodles of lychee and musk. Equal measures of gunsmoke, passionfruit, fresh seaweed, lychee, thyme, lemongrass……
Palate:A mouthful of tropical fruits as the nose suggests, but reveals more florals as well - frangipani? Richly textured with slight mealiness of feel and almond like flavour. All this is cleansed on the finish by a cool, refreshing acidity - with a wet slate minerality?
Cellaring: Drink now to 2015.
Food Pairing: Smoked stuffed trout with smoky garlic and lime mayo.
