Description / Reviews
// 100% Savagnin from Willow Grove, own-rooted from vines planted in 2001. The vineyard was due for bulldozing, overrun with blackberries. When Ryan took over the lease, he nursed the vines back to health, the blackberries he cut away are enshrined on the label.
"This fruit has partially pulpy berries which leads to heaps of solids in the ferments that in turn builds heaps of texture into the finished wine. Bright, mineral‑driven and generous. The 2024 opens with flinty whispers and lemon blossom lifted off wet stones. Citrus peel (lemon pith, faint grapefruit) balances orchard notes of green apple, pear and quince, with just a touch of hay and white flower. Underneath there's a warm core with beeswax and that signature saline, oyster‑shell minerality. The palate is warm, textured and layered: glossy mouthfeel, taut acid, generous yet balanced, finishing with a lingering mineral salt, citrus pith and creamy, savoury length." - Ryan Ponsford, Winemaker
"For a straight savagnin, as in not made in an oxidative Jura-style under flor, this is excellent, complex and detailed. Oh and lovely to drink. Wafts of hay, lemon blossom, spicy oak and flavours of quince, barely ripe stone fruit with lots of savoury inputs, even a taste of the burnt sugar topping a crème brûlée. It’s super dry, driven by acidity and finishes convincingly." - 94 Points, Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion
