Mitchell Harris has evolved a clever direction for its Sauvignon Blanc. Whilst remaining recognisably varietal, this wine benefits from a range of winemaking inputs including a portion of wild fermentation and maturation in oak. The result is a style that contains the variety’s signature flourishes in a slinky, sophisticated package.
The aroma is equal parts gooseberry and wood, each well balanced with respect to the other, all underlined by some subtly funky notes. There’s something substantial yet crystalline about the aroma profile. Its notes possess the freshness of the variety, giving up some of the sharp distinctiveness of a Marlborough wine in exchange for an attractive depth and gloss. I can see a lot of happy noses buried in this wine in Summer.
In the mouth, a slippery, bright experience. Entry is slick, fruit flavour riding a glossy texture through to a mid-palate that broadens with tropical fruit and caramel. It’s not a confrontingly complex wine, but there’s a good range of sweet and savoury notes, and the whole is quite expansive. Texture becomes progressively more layered as the wine progresses, the after palate showing a really substantial mouthfeel, slightly reminiscent of a caramel chew. The finish is clean and herbal.
This is such a nice style.
Mitchell Harris
Price: $A25
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample
Thank you Julian for the generous comments on this wine.
Given the warm and very dry season in 2013 we worked hard to capture and preserve freshness whilst building texture and complexity. The wine has some riper notes which we certainly find more desirable than the green characters.
Thanks & cheers,
-JH.
I reckon it’s bang on Johnno – the ripeness works well alongside what you’ve done texturally and I like the layers of flavour you’ve worked into the wine. I’ll take lessons from you any day!
Julian.