I could kick myself for not realising that this beautiful gift from a Polish friend had a glass stopper and not a cork.

I had every intention of Coravining (how is that not a word?) just enough to make this last a while longer.

The Wine:

Pale lemony gold with a pronounced nose of lime curd, sweet hay, nectarines, caramelised sugar, fennel seeds, elderflower, very faint pineapple and resin. There’s some vanilla too.

Slightly off dry, medium- bodied, high acidity…though it took me a few sips to decide this as the acidity is impressively restrained. Surprisingly tropical on the tongue with sweet fresh hay and slightly smoky. Ending in a delicious medium length finish of lime, almond skin and dill. This is so pretty the way it dances on your palate, flitting between sweet hay, zingy lime, bitter herbals and cold steel.

The biggest takeaway, apart from the glass stopper, is how herbal this is. As it started to open up, the caramelised sugar starts to become smoky, vanillary, candied orange peel.

This is another intriguing Sauv Blanc. The nose is a delight – a smoky orchard fruit contrast to the tropical palate. A completely unfair wine to bring to a blind tasting…but a winner in the after action satisfaction empty glass sniffing department.

The funny thing is that I don’t know if I’d want more than one glass of this wine at a time. Maybe it’s because it’s slightly overwhelming and unusual for a Sauvignon Blanc. Or maybe it’s because I want to extend the pleasure of this beautiful gift from an insta buddy who’s become a dear friend.

Vini + Viti:

Organically farmed, single vineyard Sauvignon Blanc grapes grown on steep mountain ridges in Gamlitz in Südsteiermark at 510 metres above sea level. The vineyard is a combination of stony subsoil, and sand and gravel.

The grapes were hand harvested and gently pressed after 18 hours of skin contact. Spontaneous fermentation occurs in big oak barrels (1000 to 2500 litres) and then aged in the same barrels for 18 months.

Conclusion:

Balance (1) + Length (1) + Intensity (½) + Complexity (½)  = A good wine 

Drink now, but potential for further ageing. In fact, the winery encourages you to further age their Sauvignon Blanc wines.

Find the wine:

This was a gift, but you can read more about this 250 year old Austria winery here www.tinnacher.at