Orange 12% Screwcap $22 Source: Sample
I’d heard that the Orange region does Sauvignon Blanc well. This was my first experience with the combination and I came away very pleased. Moppity are, of course, based in the Hilltops, but for their savvy they’ve sourced the grapes from Philip Shaw’s Koomooloo Vineyard which boasts some pretty impressive altitude at 900 metres above sea level. Fittingly, the wine in question is a more tight and restrained interpretation of the grape.
There’s nothing obnoxious about the nose; cut grass, oranges, unripe passionfruit, nettles and lime all plead their case successfully and in unison. There is a quite intensity to the palate, with some gentleness and texture imparted by lees and old oak. Those techniques never obscure the fruit flavours though. Still, it’s a subtle wine with minimalist explorations of textures and flavours, actually managing to draw you in rather than hit you over the head. Not that it lacks drive and concentration, but it isn’t those characters that bring me back to the glass.
A very chalky, dry finish works well, leaving nettles, tart green apple skins and parsley on a finish of greater length than often seen in the variety. I’m guessing from this that Orange Sauvignon Blanc may well possess a touch more finesse than Adelaide Hills expressions - which themselves seem more elegant than those from Marlborough. It certainly challenges that oft expressed notion that all savvys taste the same.
Winery Website- http://www.moppity.com.au/
If i had to choose an Aussie sav blanc to drink it would be from Orange. Not a fan of the variety generally but Orange seems to produce sav blanc that appeals most to my tastes