Savitar Shiraz 2021

Story

Like the mythical dragon after which it is named, Savitar is a wine of power, polish, and an elegantly long tail.

Tasting Note

Intense, savoury red fruits and concentrated blue fruits, with mineral elements and cedary undertones. Long, linear and precise. Dark cherry, Damson plum, dried fig and ripe mulberry move into firm framed, fine grained tannins with graphite texture and hints of coffee roast, chicory root and cedary oak. Elegant yet powerful with impeccable length and drive, continuing the tradition of this formidable McLaren Vale shiraz.

Winemaking

Destemmed and crushed into 2 tonne open fermenters, with twice daily pump overs throughout ferment. Temperatures were kept cool, between 20 and 24º C to extract the tannin, colour and flavour very softly. After ferment, both parcels were matured in a mix of new and seasoned hogshead barrels for 20 months. Natural malolactic fermentation occurred during this time. The resultant blend was drawn together from 55% new French oak, 5% new American oak and 40% seasoned hogs head barrels. No finings were used and the wine underwent light filtration only, prior to bottling.

Vineyard

Lopresti Lots 10 & 11, Flour Mill Road, Whites Valley

Located directly opposite the original ‘Home’ block in the tightly held sub-district of Whites Valley, less than 4km from the coastline. These blocks are characterised by black Biscay clay with distinct limestone deposits appearing throughout Lot 11, atop Ngaltinga Formation. The Biscay clay promotes strong growth in spring but dries out and cracks in summer, releasing excess moisture and pulling back vine vigour approaching veraison, producing powerfully concentrated fruit. Additionally, the limestone present in Lot 11 imparts finesse, and a balanced acidity. The coastal location allows sea breezes to mediate daytime heat during the critical ripening period.

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