This aromatic white wine interweaves the best aspects of three of our favourite varieties from the Adelaide Hills: Savagnin, Gewürztraminer and Petit Manseng. The Savagnin and Gewürztraminer contribute fresh flavours of passionfruit, pomegranate, and stone fruit as well as a green apple crunch. The savoury, slinky characters from barrel-fermented Petit Manseng provide a subtle counterpoint. It goes well with itself lightly chilled, but also complements a diverse range of foods.
Fugue
Fugue [fyoog]: a musical composition with two or more parts interwoven harmoniously, with an additional part working as a counterpoint. A fugue can also be a loss of awareness of identity, with flight from one’s usual environment, often associated with hysteria. Which is also apt.
Vineyards
Savagnin
Tucked away in the backblocks of Lobethal, these vineyards were previously underappreciated due to the variety’s chequered past. The wine it produces has an amazing elegance, with pure fruit characters and lifted blossom aromas. It is now greatly appreciated, and forms the backbone of the Fugue.
Gewürztraminer
This Lenswood vineyard is on one of the best sites for Gewürz in the Adelaide Hills, if not the country. Perched on a steep hill with easterly aspect, the vines get full morning and midday sun, but are protected from late afternoon sun by the topography and by a row of pine trees atop the hill. The result is a unique microclimate, which produces conditions ideally suited to this variety.
Petit Manseng
From the heart of Woodside, this variety is very rare in Australia. It is well suited to the environment of the Adelaide Hills, and holds tremendous acid. The wine produced has an amazing mix of elements, from nashi apple to guava as well as savoury notes and minerality.
Winemaking
Each variety is treated completely differently in the winery to bring out their best attributes. The Savagnin is fermented cool in stainless steel to capture the innate purity of the fruit. The Gewürz has some skin contact and barrel fermentation to bring out the florals and muskiness. The Petit Manning spends time on lees and in barrel to tweak the palate structure. The components are then blended to highlight each of their strengths.
