2022 Singlefile Small Batch Vermentino
VINEYARD & WINEMAKING
From time to time, we see small parcels of fruit that stand out in the vineyard or winery. The ‘Small Batch’ project wines gives us the opportunity for those small parcels to have their own voice. We came across this tiny parcel of fruit in a 44-year-old vineyard in Mount Barker, Great Southern and ‘Project 16’ in our Small Batch series was born.
Vermentino is native to Sardinia which typically produces a rich but also refreshing style. We have crafted an Aussie interpretation using a minimal intervention approach. Only 1,413 bottles were made.
The fruit was handpicked on 1 April 2022. It was pressed off its skins and fermented in a stainless-steel tank. A small portion was then transferred to aged 225L Bordeaux barriques for maturation on light lees. This was done to enhance mouth feel and texture, while maintaining freshness.
THE WINE
The wine displays summer florals, some green apple and citrus with a subtle sea spray (salty) character. The mouth feel is textural with a soft, salty minerality, some savoury tones and good natural acidity. This wine shows its best with food and is well suited to complement seafood dishes.
CRITIC REVIEWS OF NOTE
2022
96 points, Top in Category, Winestate Magazine 2022/23 Annual Edition, Jan 2023
The 2022 Small Batch Vermentino was a very beautiful and easy drinking wine with a lovely amount of acidity that was really was refreshing. It was a delicate vermentino that was very balanced with its apple and lemon fruit character and its texture from some lees contact.
This would be a great vermentino to try as an introduction to textural Italian whites. Light, refreshing, some added body and would be a crowd pleaser at any BBQ.