LVDO VERSIONS #2 Special Aged White 2023 - Sauvignon Blanc

Nuanced | Savoury | Pithy

Ingredients: Grapes, 20 ppm sulphites

Vegan, unfined and unfiltered.

2023 Vintage
Lansdowne Vineyard, Forreston, Adelaide Hills
12% ABV
750 mL

My purpose with this wine was to push the boundaries and the concept of Australian Sauvignon Blanc and focus on what it could be instead of what it should be. The following Picasso quote greatly inspired my interpretation of this idiosyncratic grape variety through " a sum of instructions":
"A picture used to be a sum of additions. In my case a picture is a sum of destructions. I do a picture - then I destroy it. In the end, though, nothing is lost: the red I took away from one place turns up somewhere else." - Picasso

Started with hand-picked and hand-sorted grapes from a spectacular, organic vineyard (Lansdowne) in Forreston, Adelaide Hills. The grapes were destemmed, foot-stomped and pressed after 3 hours of "maceration". Fermented naturally in a stainless tank and transferred to a 14-year-old French barrique and aged on fine lees for 24 months in total. The barrel was occasionally rolled (for battonage) and meticulously topped until the last 3 months to encourage a delicate veil development and influence. The extended elevate resulted in concentrated flavours and acidity with a complex, savoury, pure and fresh fruit expression. Bottled with 30 parts SO2. 270 bottles filled.

92 points, Kasia Sobiesiak (The Wine Front)
"This is surely a different and engaging take on Sauvignon Blanc, undoubtedly stirring away from the textbook expressions of Marlborough. Probably closer to a fume style. Toasted cashews, pink grapefruit note and a hint of peanut husk with pomelo bitter-sweet perfume. Sour watermelon juice with a hint of mint on the palate and just a lick of salt. Slippery at first, building into a more pithy, slightly phenolic texture with time. I like this direction for Sauvignon Blanc."