Forget-me-not Sauvignon Blanc Semillon bottle image
Forget-me-not Sauvignon Blanc Semillon bottle image

Forget-me-not Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2018

Tasting Notes

‘Forget-me-not’ as a nose like a summer meadow – grassy and with a hint of white flowers. There’s lime and lemon on the palate with a hint of lantana – this is courtesy of the Semillon. This is a classic white blend which is terrific as an aperitif on a summer afternoon (chilled) or with a variety of food.

We have above average winter rainfall and although we had a dry June, we recorded decent falls in July and August. Below average rainfall was recorded in spring, and we experienced some warm spring nights. Summer rain tally was also below average despite a wet December. McLaren Vale experienced warm a warm Autumn ripening period with low rainfall. Overall vintage in McLaren Vale produced wine of excellent quality and while total tonnages were down for the season, compared to a wet and fertile 2017, the reports from winemakers on wine quality has been almost universally positive.

It’s pretty simple stuff making this homage to a fresh Bordeaux-style white blend: we pick both the Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon grapes at night to ensure they reach the winery nice and cool. We ferment the grapes in stainless steel tanks – we can control the temperature in these vessels, because the cooler the ferment, the more we retain the gentle flavours – grassy/ lantana characters in the SB and citrus in the Semillon. We don’t use any oak, and we try to keep oxygen away from the ferment (‘reductive handling’) because this is the enemy of the gently floral characters. We bottle the wine pretty much as soon as it has gone through ferment and has settled and cleared.

Technical Details

Picking Date: 12th and 13th Feb 2018 (SB) and 30th Feb 2018 (Semillon)

Alc/Vol: 12.5%

Bottling Date: 15th July 2018