Hand harvested on 14 March 2022. Pressed directly and settled overnight. Racked to 500-litre barrels for fermentation. Elévage for 20 months and bottled on-site with no fining, filtration, other additions or subtractions. Two barrels produced, totalling 1188 bottles.

We have been working with Savagnin since 2017, but our love for the variety has roots much earlier. It can be the literal best oyster wine, or with time, something profound happens through careful elévage. That’s more or less the direction of the 2022 vintage.

It’s hard to know where to start – emerging from a post-COVID haze, early signs showed this wine to be a monstrous drink. Halfway through elévage, we upped sticks and moved our lives, winery included, south. Closer to the ocean we didn’t know we’d missed and where the sun comes out in winter. Another year in barrel, soaking in the energy of a new home, the wine was run to bottle.

On the nose, a hint of reduction opening to ozone and power—classic Savagnin. Pours golden, salty granny smith crunch into a pent-up core. Salted caramel follows in the middle, revealing an awesome length propelled by a staining acidity. Recommended serving temperature is 12°C, letting it open up and warm. If you’re patient, savour it over a few days. This wine drinks beautifully right now, but a few bottles tucked away will no doubt pay you in dividends. – Borachio