Upholding brilliance year after year is a challenge in and of itself - going one step further and chasing perfection is an even greater ambition, and there wouldn't be many Australian wineries that represent (and realise) that aspiration better in the realm of Chardonnay than Savaterre!
The team from the great Beechworth region in Victoria have become legends of their craft; anyone who loves powerful and rich Chardonnay must not miss out, showing energy and freshness in their youth, but with time in the cellar, these wines grow and fill out just beautifully. Their Estate Chardonnay expression sells out quickly every year, so if you're a long-term fan or looking to dive in for the first time, take advantage of this week's special offer!
Also available will be their Frére Cadet Chardonnay at a more accessible pricepoint, which gives a great indiction of their style, as well as three memorable red expressions in Pinot, Shiraz, and Sagrantino!
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A Note on the 2021 Vintage for Beechworth Chardonnay -
"Another classic Beechworth vintage, marked by near-perfect conditions for the vine: ample water from the winter, a long and coolish ripening season with neither heat spikes nor inclement bursts of rain, punctuated with a warm and dry picking window. Classy, mid-weighted wines with considerable capacity for ageing, are the result." - Langton's Vintage Chart Victoria
2021 Estate Chardonnay - $95 on special this week ; $105 RRP
"The fruit is a field blend of clones in the vineyard (8,000 vines per hectare, planted in 1996) and is handpicked, whole-bunch pressed and fermented with wild yeast, then the wine matures in French oak for 18 months. The wine is frisky (of course, at this early stage) and shows its oak at this stage, but it is already flowing in a cascade of almond meal, crushed nuts, briny acidity and salted peach. Through the finish, the phenolics tighten up and pull the fruit into line, dragging it out to a long finish. It is lovely, complex and tense and will soften in time." - 95 Points, Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate
2021 Frére Cadet Chardonnay - $64 on special this week ; $72 RRP
"While the estate wines are formed from mature, low yielding vines, the Frère Cadet range offers the Savaterre philosophy at a more accessible pricepoint. The 2021 Frère Cadet Chardonnay is assembled from young vine estate material and some fruit soured from a neighbour's vineyard, next door to Giaconda. Powerful and rich Chardonnay fruit, purity, and Beechworth's granite terroir are all on display here; hallmark's of Keppell's deft touch and iconic style." - TWE
Also Available from Savaterre - (on Special!)
"Matured 18 months in Burgundian oak (25-30% new). Take a deep breath, inhale; the scent of mountain wildflowers, violet, crushed raspberry and cherry is entrhalling, addictive even. Intense and tight on the palate, it opens to layers of clean, bright red and black fruits, enhanced by savoury spice, warm background oak and ripe, textural tannins. A savoury, ferrous and mineral finish offers yet another layer on this most complex pinot. Outstanding." - 97 Points, Jeni Port, Halliday's Wine Companion
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"Soft, supple and with suprisingly wide gauge. It's a very savoury expression but feels comfortable with its lazy spread, the softness of texture (yet finishes chalky and pleasingly bitter-dry), dark fruit meshed with truffle. Aussie bush characters and old spice cupboard feel to seasoning. The more you sip, the more the grip builds. It's an intriguing, individual and compelling wine, more akin to old school pinot noir perhaps, maybe a gentle, mature Barolo but lighter and finer?! Anyways, it's a pleasure." - 94 Points, Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
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"Hand-picked fruit, 20% whole bunches, natural open ferment. Matured 18 months in Burgundian oak (25-30% new), unfiltered. Named to honour the late Maurizio Ugge of Arquilla, Italian food and wine importer, who introduced the winemaker (Keppell Smith) to Italian wines. The high priest of tannin, the sagrantino grape is transformed by Keppell into a plush, focused, savoury, full-bodied, fine (and firm) tannic young wine, worthy of extended time in the cellar. A striking herbal thread blends in with black fruits, plum, bramble, bracken, earth and truffle which, in itself, is a complex grouping and so very different. You are not in comfortable ol' shiraz territory anymore; it's a pretty exciting place to be." - 95 Points, Jeni Port, Halliday Wine Companion
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If you wish to purchase these wines, please use the links above. Otherwise, if you have any questions, please contact us on (07)32521117 or email sales@thewineemporium.com.au
Prices valid until Wednesday the 12th of April