95 points - "Intensely savoury, full of flavour and textural plump, trimmed in with a feathery phenolic grip and fine line of acidity. Candied lime pith, green apple tarte Tatin, stone fruit kernel, fennel frond, pine needle, fresh mint and an iodine-tinged oyster-like ferrous-ity. It’s a tussle – energetic, viscous and flavourful – all tumbling out in an oceanic dump of salinity with a positive citrus-pith bitterness. Needs a little time, but it’s compelling stuff." - Marcus Ellis (Halliday Wine Companion)

93 points - "Riesling and semillon in a beautiful alliance. This has some great savouriness and salty notes going on. Things me likes in whites. Scents and flavours of brine, cashew, green almond, ginger, lime, cumquat, dill and white pepper. Exotic things, an edginess to the wine, but it holds its own, shows off just shy of medium weight concentration, a cool, pleasingly bitter finish too. Compact and curiosity triggering wine. It has something going on, for sure. Refreshment factor is high too. Some will balk perhaps at the peaky acidity, but it fits for me. Just expect a somewhat edgy wine. Dive in." - Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)

A ‘field blend’ is an ensemble of different grapes from one vineyard block that are picked on the same day and fermented together, making a unique wine of place or a ‘vin de terroir’. Our version is from a sandy, elevated site along the far eastern foothills of the Blewitt Springs sub-region in McLaren Vale. Here a half acre of Riesling (70%) and Semillon (30%), planted in 1975 by a German farmer, grow cheek by jowl. Picked on the same day, these unusual bedmates spend a couple days on skins together before being basket pressed then co-fermented wild in trusty French barriques. This bright white wine has all the emerald exuberance of Riesling cut with the lemony flesh of Semillon. Great summer drinking, and a riot with oysters, we are proud that this wine tastes like a true coastal white; its origins a mere 20 km from the Gulf of St. Vincent.

“Lovely deeper yellow in hue. All the emerald exuberance of Riesling cut by the lemony flesh of Semillon. A maragrita in the glass, a true ocean wine, as well. Bring on the oysters, salt and pepper squid and King George whiting.” Brad Hickey, Vinitor, September 19, 2024



Additional Information:

Harvest date: March 15, 2023

Hand picked

Vineyard: Saddlebags Hill, Blewitt Springs

Grower: Adrian Scott

Viticulture: Sustainable

Geology: North Maslin Sands over ironstone

Irrigation: Dry Grown

Altitude: 250 metres above sea level

Planted: 1975 on RWT Trellising

Fermenter type: white Burgundy barriques, one steeel barrel.

Time in oak/steel: 12 months

Oak origin: French

Oak age: 100% 8-12 year

Bottling date: January 30, 2024

Filtration: Coarse Regimesh

Closure: Stelvin +

pH 3.34, TA 5.8 g/l, alc 13.3%