Springhill Savagnin

Tasting Notes: 2011

In 1995 Marjorie and I presented our Irvine wines in Zurich. After a days work offering consumer tastings we went to dinner at the Uranus Tapas Bar to recover. The first white wine served was magnificent. Crisp, lively, full of tropical fruits and yet with deep, exquisite complex flavour and structure. Most rewarding – especially at that time.

As fortune would have it we remembered the name the next day, and the flavours ever since. “I know where this would grow superbly – in Eden Valley, South Australia”, and so the idea was born.

Thanks to our friends and neighbours Mark and Maralyn Bartholo-maeus we have our Eden Valley Irvine Savagnin. Mark grows the grapes and our elder daughter Joanne makes the wine.

Sourcing the vines was quite an affair, as the Australian quarantine restrictions had to be observed, so it took quite some time to get to the winemaking stage, and now the variety we thought was Albarino turns out to be Savagnin, a very old variety interplanted with Albarino in N-W Spain.

The area is small – just under one hectare, and the yield also, at around 300 dozen. Once again Irvine introduces classic style premium global wine to Australia.