This hand picked Fiano was 10% destemmed with skin contact for one month, the balance was whole bunch pressed with 35% barrel fermented and 55% in stainless steel. Fermentation was all wild, with no malo occurring, this wine was then blended and bottled after 4 months.
"The wine doesn't disappoint." Ned Goodwin, Wine Companion, 93 points
Hand-picked around sunburned fruit to discern quality material. No skin contact this vintage, as a result. A very ripe, extremely intense nose, clearly indicative of the lengthy hang-time and dry extract in the fruit. Aromas of pomelo, quince, bath salts and wild fennel, peppery and lingering as the phalanx of intensity stains the mouth while the freshness massages the gums. This is a very good fiano. I can imagine it in oak, so rich is it. Drink or hold. Screw cap. Ned Goodwin MW Senior Editor
The 2022 Houdini Adelaide Hills Sauvignon blanc is the first release under new branding. This fresh and mouth watering wine comes from the iconic Christmas Hill Vineyard in Kuipto and continues the tradition of this sought after wine.
The GruVe from Smidge Wines was one of the first wines under the Smidge Label. The name comes from Matt and Trish finding their own ‘groove’ – dancing to the beat of their own drum. With the 2016 vintage, although the season was dry and warm, the night time temperatures were often low, which maintained freshness and acidity in many varieties, including Grüner. A much-needed rain at the end of January freshened everything up and many varieties finished ripening well. The 2016 GruVe has been made in a similar fashion to previous vintages, although unlike the 2015, it is dry. Whole bunch pressed, no acid addition, wild yeast fermentation and then 6 months on yeast lees. Bottled mid-October.
The Pedra Branca series celebrates the forces of nature that create things unique and remarkable. This is a project wine where each year, the wines made are different in variety or style to bring out the best in the grapes and the conditions in which they were grown. The wines are made only in small quantities when interesting parcels of fruit are available and are crafted to bring out the best in their natural flavours. This makes them remarkable and highly sought after. 2013 Pedra Branca Barossa Sauvignon Blanc, 94 points, James Halliday
"Remarkably cloudy, fizzy and alive. It attacks with flavour and finishes with it too, though it seems to dip through the middle. Freshness and vigour are the real keys here though whispers of grassy/smoky varietal character don’t hurt."
- Campbell Mattinson, Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2020 90/100
