De Bortoli pretty much always turn out a good Sauvignon. It can actually handle a little bottle age too if that takes your fancy. The trick? Savage by name, savage by nature; wild yeast, barrel work and lots of lees stirring.
Plenty of solids funk, a whisp of smoke and a sense of wildness play foil to passionfruit pulp, cut grass, thistle and lemon splice. Creamy through the mid-palate with a stone-faced mineral finish wrapping it up. The antithesis of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. 92 Very Good
Region: Yarra Valley
Alcohol: 12.0%
Closure: Screwcap
Price: $22
Tasted: November 2012
I drank the last of my 2007s earlier this year and, like many wines, I wished I had more. Truly a superb wine. I believe it needs at least three years before it hits its straps and I have half a dozen 2010s (and possibly 2011s soon) which I look forward to over the next decade.
Interesting to hear that Jules. I finished off my 2007 PHI Sauvignons last year with similar thoughts. Different vineyard in Lusatia and a collaborative effort between De Borts and Shelmerdine but I still see a lot of similarities between the two wines. Will have to put some of this 2011 De Bortoli Sauvignon away for a few years myself.