Varietal: 100% Sauvignon Blanc Vintage:   April 2003 Vineyard:   Pretty Sally Vineyard Region:   Central Victoria, Australia Barrel Maturation:   Fermentation in stainless, no malolactic fermentation, No oak aging. Pruning:   2.6 tons per acre Alcohol:   12% Current Production:   58 Cases Bottle size:   750 ml Release date:   March 2004 Trellis System:   VSP, 1.5m between vines, row spacing of 3m Soil Type:   Sandy clay loam with gravel layers Winemaker:   John Ellis

VINTAGE DESCRIPTION

Eureka! John Ellis, our winemaker, was walking the vineyard in 2002 to determine the vintage dates for the Cabernet and Shiraz when he noticed the exceptional fruit in the original test block of Sauvignon Blanc. That year, we first heeded his call to make wine of this discovery. In 2003 we showed that the extraordinary nature of the fruit was consistently exceptional.

The 2003 growing season was hot, but punctuated at the end by the last of our drought. The growing conditions were exceptional as the fruit reached full maturity and full sugar readings simultaneously. The consistently excellent nature of our Sauvignon Blanc grapes convinced us to use the off season of 2003 to plant a new block of 240 vines that will come on line in 2006.

As usual, picking was carried out at John’s discretion. Harvesting was done by hand, in a single session using on-the-spot selection.

WINEMAKING

The fruit was pressed and fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. John’s exceptional attention to detail was applied to selecting the transition points in the process. Fermentation was done to dryness, and no malolactic fermentation or oak influence was involved. The extraordinary fruit was transformed without manipulation into a simply stunning wine.

TASTING NOTES

This wine embodies the true-to-type characteristics of the Sauvignon Blanc grape. The nose is intense with melon and tropical fruit. The palate is complex and crisp and the finish is long and memorable.

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