Tscharke "Girl Talk" Savagnin 2011

Savagnin first came to my attention a few years ago when I read an article that numerous wineries had purchased what they thought were Albarino vines, subsequent testing concluded that these were indeed Savagnin. In the end, a balls up from the CSIRO. I'm happy to be corrected, but if my memory serves me well, some of these vines were then pulled up whilst others remained in the hope of them still being able to be labelled Albarino (which wasn't permissible), whilst others just changed the label to the rightful name Savagnin.

Alas, this sample from the Tscharke "Emerging" range came my way and I was indeed excited to have a look at it, having only had experience with the variety once before.

This is a late ripening variety which is unwooded and has a pale straw appearance. I detected aromas of pear skin, an oily butteriness and a whiff of lemon curd. The palate was quite interesting as it was coated beautifully. There was some complexity and minerality along with depth, but apart from some stone fruit type flavours, nothing really jumped out.

A good drink nonetheless without the glitter. It's got more guts than some whites out there and the finish lurks well. Backing up for another sip isn't a hard ask.

It will cellar for a few years I'd suggest and I'd be interested to see what it morphs into with some bottle age. Have with roast chicken.

Who: Tscharke http://www.tscharke.com.au/
What: Savagnin (12.7% alc)
Where: Barossa
When: 2011
How: $21

Follow them: www.twitter.com/TscharkeWines
Follow me: www.twitter.com/Qwine