Ok… technically, Rob did it!
Our 2022 Somerled Fumé Blanc and Chardonnay were bottled yesterday and will be making an appearance at the cellar Bar VERY VERY soon!
We’re super excited to share these wines with you (and very relieved we can put them back on the wine list). They will be officially launched in the Club Room on Saturday 11th February. I’ll also be sharing a 6-pack special to celebrate. Keep an eye on your email for more details.
Until then, let’s take a quick look at both of these wines.
Fumé Blanc
Most of us are familiar with Fumé Blanc (from the French words meaning “smoke” and “white”) being made from Sauvignon Blanc grapes in a style similar to Chardonnay.
But if you need a refresher on the rest of the story, here it is…
Fumé Blanc is a name that legendary Napa Valley winemaker Robert Mondavi developed for a wine style made with Sauvignon Blanc grapes during the 1960s. In those days, wines made with Sauvignon Blanc were very unpopular in America. They were considered too sweet, too sour, too grassy and generally unbalanced.
Inspired by the great French white wines (like wines from Sancerre of the Loire Valley), Mondavi knew he would be able to make exceptional wines with Sauvignon Blanc grapes. So, he created the name, Fumé Blanc. The style of wine he made had a deep oakiness with rich, more well-rounded sweet melon flavours. The wine became an instant hit.
Mondavi did not copyright or trademark the name, and other winemakers quickly began producing Fumé Blanc wines.
Here are Rob’s thoughts on our Somerled version…
Most Sauvignon Blanc wines spend their entire life before bottling in stainless steel tank(s).
And it’s usually a pretty short life too! Our Fumé Blanc is different.
Granted, it does spend a few days in stainless steel as juice and then as fermenting juice, but then we pump it into barrels to finish off fermentation. It stays in the barrels for malolactic fermentation and then for maturation – typically another 7-8 months.
That is very much the same as with our Chardonnay, and that’s why there are similarities in the aromas and flavours of our Fumé and our Chardonnay.
It’s still very much a sauvignon blanc, but I love the additional character provided by this processing.
There’s mango and peach on the nose and the soft rich palate has these – plus nougat, cashew and a lovely crisp lingering finish.
This is a terrific wine which will age very nicely for 3 or 4 years or more. It’s great with flavoursome fish such as snapper or barramundi.
Chardonnay
It’s such a shame that Chardonnay, in general, gets such a bad rap.
Yes, Chardonnay has a history of being heavily oaked and overly alcoholic, but that was soooo last century.
These days, Chardonnay can be elegant. And our Somerled Chardonnay is just that.
The grapes are picked nice and early to retain a nice level of acidity and to make sure the resulting wine isn’t too “big” when it comes to alcohol content.
And while it is oaked, it is done so in “seasoned” barrels (meaning they have been used a couple of times already) for only 7 or 8 months. That means the oak influence doesn’t over-power the beautiful Chardonnay flavours.
It is well worth another try if you haven’t done so for a while… or, *gasp* if you have never tried it!
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Vintage 2023 update
We’re definitely getting to the pointy end of this growing season.
E-L stage
All varieties are at E-L 32 (beginning of bunch closure, berries touching if berries are tight).
According to last week’s CropWatch report, bunch closure has been reached across the region and shoot growth has almost ceased in the last week.
Based on past observations the season is 7-10 days behind in development in comparison with Vintage 22.
The next step in berry development is Berry Ripening – also known as Veraison. That’s when the berries first start to change colour.
A review of past colour development helps inform when the first colour is likely to be observed this season.
This graph shows colour development in Pinot Gris at Lenswood for the past six seasons. Both Vintage 2017 and 2022 had cold and wet conditions that considerably delayed colour development compared to other seasons. Assuming the season is seven days later than Vintage 2022, first colour at Lenswood is likely to be two weeks away.
This next graph shows colour development in Shiraz at Macclesfield for the past six seasons. Assuming the season is seven days later than Vintage 2022, first colour at Macclesfield is likely to be three weeks away.
