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2023 Singlefile Single Vineyard Porongurup Fumé Blanc

VINEYARD & WINEMAKING

This wine is a sophisticated expression of sauvignon blanc made in the traditional Bordeaux style of the Pessac-Léognan / Graves sub-regions. The fruit is from the Misery Hill vineyard, established in 1989, in the Porongurup sub-region of the Great Southern.

The fruit was picked in late March 2023. It was crushed, with the free run juice then sent to a stainless-steel tank. When the juice had settled, indigenous yeasts were introduced to encourage fermentation. Starting the fermentation in a stainless-steel tank ensured the fruit purity is maintained. After fermentation was underway, about one quarter of the juice was transferred to new Bordeaux oak barriques and the fermentation was completed in barrel. The remaining wine stayed in tank and on its lees for approximately three months. The two parcels were then blended together and prepared for bottling.

This approach balances the aromatics and fruit purity from stainless-steel tank with the trademark spice, texture and palate softness of barrel fermented sauvignon blanc. It produces a sophisticated, food friendly style.

Fumé Blanc was a name first used in the late nineteen sixties in Napa Valley, California, by vintner Robert Mondavi to denote a style of sauvignon blanc which had received oak treatment. The name is now widely used for oaked sauvignon blanc dominant wines.

THE WINE

The wine has complex aromas that hint at spice, guava and herbaceous notes. The mouth feel is elegant and textural due to the partial oak treatment which adds a refined complexity. This wine shows its best with food and is well suited to complement oven-roasted chicken and vegetable style dishes. The wine will improve with age for up to eight years.

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CRITIC REVIEWS OF NOTE

2023 Vintage

92 points, The Real Review Jan 2024
91 points, Wine Showcase, Mar 2024

2022 Vintage

95 points, Runner-up Best Sauvignon Blanc of 2023, Ray Jordan, 2023 WA Wine Review, Dec 2022
Featured in 'Vintner wonderland: 10 Australian white wines to try this winter', Thomas Carr, The Guardian, June 2023

2020 Vintage

93 points, Stuart Knox, The Real Review, Mar 2021
4.5 Stars, Best Wines of 2020, Winestate Magazine 2021
93 points, Stuart Knox, The Real Review, Dec 2020
4.5 Stars, Winestate Magazine, Dec 2020

2019 Vintage

95 points, Value Rosette, James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion, Aug 2020
93 points, Top Rank, Huon Hooke, The Real Review, Dec 2019
"Opulent", Drinkeasy Competition, Dec 2019
91 points, Nick Butler, The Real Review, Nov 2019
4 stars, Lester Jesberg, Winewise, Oct 2019
92 points, Steve Leszczynski, QWine, Sep 2019

2018 Vintage

96 points, Equal Top Scoring Sauvignon Blanc, James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion, Aug 2019
92 points, Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front, Jun 2019
91 points, James Suckling, jamessuckling.com, Jun 2019
93 points, Toni Paterson, The Real Review, May 2019
16.5 points, Tamlyn Currin, JancisRobinson.com, Dec 2018

2016 Vintage

93 points, Toni Paterson, The Real Review, Dec 2018
18 points, Regan Drew, Vinonotebook, Jun 2018
18 points, Barry Weinman, Fine Wine Club, Jan 2018
93 points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review, Dec 2017
94 points, Jane Faulkner, Australian Wine Companion, Aug 2017

2015 Vintage

94 points, James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion, Aug 2016
94 points, Mike Bennie, The Wine Front, April 2016
93 points, Angus Hughson, Wine Genius, June 2016
'Great drinking', QWine, March 2016
'Balanced with gentle richness', Jason Miller, Que Syrah, May 2016
'Most pleasant', John Fordham, The Sunday Telegraph, April 2016

2014 Vintage

95 points, James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion, Jul 2015
95 points, Ray Jordan, The Weekend West
92 points, Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front, Nov 2014
18.2 points, John Jens, Western Suburbs Weekly

2013 Vintage

96 points, James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion, Jul 2014
94 points, Mike Bennie, Wine Business Magazine, Jun 2014
94 points, Ray Jordan, The WA Wine Guide, 2015
Highly Recommended, Clive Hartly, Australian Wine Guide, May 2014

2012 Vintage

94 points, Ray Jordan, The WA Wine Guide, Oct 2013
93 points, Mike Bennie, Wine Business Magazine, Jun 2013
18.2 points, John Jens, Western Suburbs Weekly, Sep 2013
Highly Recommended, Clive Hartly, Australian Wine Guide, May 2014
Gold, 2012 Blackwood Valley and WA Boutique Wine Awards
Gold, 2013 Timber Towns Wine Show

9 Review(s)

Wine Specs

Vintage

2023

Varietal

Fume Blanc

Appellation

Mount Barker

Alcohol %

12.4

Product Reviews

Matt A

(06/07/2019 at 4:43 PM)

The first Fume Blanc I have come across before in Aus and is an excellent wine. Being a Sauv Blanc that is aged in oak, its a perfect ‘inbetween’ wine of a Sauv Blanc and a Chardonnay so its an allround pleaser for a summers day entertaining. Well done singlefile, its one of your best!

Peter

(18/05/2020 at 12:32 PM)

The 2019 Fumé Blanc is an excellent expression of this manner of working with sauvignon blanc grapes. Crisp and balanced, the wine has long lime and passionfruit notes with a little yeast on the nose. This is a very well balanced wine and nicely made, perfect for drinking cold with a summer fruit platter. Under screw cap. Drink now until 2022.

John Meehan

(15/08/2020 at 6:28 PM)

Perfumed nose, pale green colour, gooseberry and grass hints at first, yeast notes. I am a big fan of their Fume Blanc and this one cements the relationship. Lovely!

Neville Chaplin

(16/08/2020 at 12:29 PM)

The wine opens with a bright, light straw colour and just a hint of a green hue. The bouquet is complex, attractive and understated, hinting at tropical and citrus flavours. On the palate you are treated to a complex, well balanced wine that improves the longer you keep it in the glass! It is crisp, spicy, fruity, with a lasting finish. The wine is creamy and mouth filling, and best enjoyed with food. On our tasting we paired it with a beer marinated chicken, rubbed with butter and paprika, roasted with vegetables, and served with a light Marsala based gravy.

Russell Burder

(17/08/2020 at 4:39 PM)

To be honest SSB is not my go to white wine. However, I was intrigued to try my first Fumé Blanc. Dropping the Semillion and concentrating on Sauvignon Blanc, Fumé Blanc adds a some oak barrel aging to the process. Singlefile balance this perfectly, removing some of the astringency, adding subtle smokiness and allowing some of the more complex characteristics to shine through - think crisp melon/kiwi on the palate and the iconic fresh cut grass/citrus on the noise. Would love to say it was paired with food, but we polished off the bottle before dinner was served!!

Ben

(30/09/2020 at 10:25 AM)

I have only tried a few different Fume Blanc's, and this was by far the best. A crisp wine that would be great for a summer evening. Starting well on the nose, the first taste you get is a touch of Oak from the barrel, this balanced well with the subtle and not too overbearing spice and grassy finish. A smooth and well thought out wine.

Anthony

(30/09/2020 at 5:31 PM)

First time drinking Fumé Blanc and happily pleased, in fact, loved it. Colour of light straw. Scents of peach and citrus (especially grapefruit) on the nose. Very slight acidity which helped break through our meal. Smooth and sweet aftertaste. After our first foray into Fumé Blanc, we will certainly purchase again.

Robyn Price

(07/08/2021 at 4:33 PM)

A fresh & lively young wine so newly born, yet already showing a delicate balance between the exquisite fruit & high quality oak....a wine like no other, with its subtle complexity & promise of elegant ageing.

SueLin

(15/08/2022 at 11:08 PM)

The newly released 2022 is a classy and sophisticated wine with the palest, shimmery good colour. Crisp and textural with delicate red apple, bold passionfruit, freshly cut grass, and flower nectar, the wine is joyful, aromatic, and develops complexity as it comes to room temperature in the glass. Traditionally it will pair well with roast chicken and most seafood dishes, but why not try an unconventional pairing of pickled octopus, sushi and sashimi, or a fancy club sandwich? Enjoy now, and make sure it’s not too cold!

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