Poppy Pinot Grigio bottle image
Poppy Pinot Grigio bottle image

Poppy Pinot Grigio 2012

Tasting Notes

‘Poppy’is light and fresh with a gentle nose of nashi pear and citrus, and a silky smooth palate. Serve as an aperitif, or eat with Spaghetti alla Vongole or, if you’re struggling to find some Greek wine in your cellar, our Pinot Grigio will step up admirably when matched with Taramasalata. Light pasta dishes and mild cheese will go well with the Poppy too.

It is a massive truism, but really, every vintage is different. Vintage 2012 was condensed into about 8 weeks from go to whoa which meant we had finished crushing all grapes by the end of March. Generally this feat would only be accomplished by the middle to end of April. Yields across all varieties were considerably down on average (from 15-40% in some varieties), but quality is looking very promising for both reds and whites. We had cool conditions up until the end of February then some rain, which did not affect things too much (see vintage 2011)as the whites were already picked and safely in the winery, and reds were unaffected. 

Joch’s sensitive side came to the fore when making the Poppy – he made this wine in the Grigio, rather than the Gris style, i.e. we wanted to retain the fresh gentle aromas of the variety and make a light bodied, fresh wine as opposed to a heavier bodied Gris style (these are made in Alsace and tend to be rich, even oily wines.). To this end we picked the grapes early at about 12 degrees Beaume and allowed them a cool, temperature controlled ferment in a stainless steel tank. This Modus Operandi is critical in making sure the resulting wine is fresh and light. Poppy did not spend any time in oak barrels at all.

  • The Cream Wine Reviews from Wine Business Magazine March 2013 Mike Bennie

    Light, crisp, brisk, slightly grassy, touch of mineral water minerality, a shiny, happy wine that charms with gently sweet fruit , tangy acidity to keep things refreshing. it's not overly complex, but drinkability is high and varietal character shines through.

    92 points 

    Mike Bennie

  • Australian Gourmet Traveller Top Drops of the Month June 2013 Max Allex

    A lot of the pinot grigio out there in bottle-shop land is frivolous 'n' fruity, but this lovely drop from a well-established organic vineyard in McLaren Vale is Italian-food-friendly, dry and savoury.

  • Adelaide Review - Food Wine and Coffee April 2013 Andrea Frost

    Joch Bosworth and Louise Hemsley Smith of Battle of Bosworth and Spring Seed Wine Company have been leaders in the organic winegrowing movement in Australia since they started converting their McLaren Vale vineyard to organics in 1995. Their A-Grade certified vineyards produce a range of wines under their Battle of Bosworth and Spring Seed Labels.

    Vibrant and expressive as the label that adorns it, the Spring Seed Poppy Pinot Grigio 2012 is made in a light and fresh style. “We wanted to retain the fresh gentle aromas of the variety and make a light bodied, fresh wine,” commented Louise. And light and fresh it is; the wine has aromas of pear, citrus and a slight Pinot Grigio spice. Serve chilled with a smashing view.

Technical Details

Picking Date: 8th February 2012

pH: 3.08

Alc/Vol: 13.0%

Bottling Date: 6th August 2012