2005 Hay Shed Hill Sauvignon Blanc Estate

Halliday Wine Companion

• By James Halliday
  9/22/2005, (See more on Halliday Wine Companion...)

  (Hay Shed Hill Wines Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc) Subscribe to see review text.

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  12/17/2007, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (Hay Shed Hill SAUVIGNON BLANC) Holiday Special #8 Dear Friends, As far as Holiday Specials go, sometimes you just need a good bottle of top-quality white wine for next to nothing and this is it. There’s not much to say here - this is one of the most expensive Sauvignon Blanc’s produced in Australia or New Zealand - from one of the most expensive pieces of terroir in Margaret River and.... It’s a huge bargain. When this dollar amount usually buys you commercial drek full of oak chips, cast off wine and inoculated cultured yeasts and enzymes, this wine is just the opposite - it is as naturally produced as you will find in Margaret River and the mantra is one of boutique magic with small production. The most amazing thing with this wine is that it is just now coming into its own, two years after release. The vintage was so good in 2005 For Sauvignon Blanc that the natural extract is just now softening to align itself with the natural acidity. From 100% estate fruit, this is sort of the Araujo Sauvignon Blanc of this region, made in a similar style. From the winery: “Excellent ripening conditions during the 2005 vintage have helped produce this fresh and full flavored wine. It displays aromas of lime, green mango, passion fruit and cut grass. The palate is crisp and refreshing, aided by good levels of natural acidity. It also displays complexity and richness achieved through a 6% barrel ferment component with only natural yeast.” (the remaining 94% was raised in tank). This wine has received some of the most consistent praise Down Under for Sauvignon Blanc and/or Semillon blends and has been awarded “Best Of” status from WSW and other national publications in Australia. It was rated as one of the top 50 wines in Australia by Peter Forrestal in his summer review last year: Peter Forrestal (Quantas): “2005 Hay Shed Hill Sauvignon Blanc: Wilyabrup in Margaret River's Cabernet country sometimes makes excellent varietal Sauvignons. Nigel Kinsman is a young, enthusiastic perfectionist who adds complexity, character and intrigue to the bright overt sauvignon flavours with 6 percent barrel fermentation. Juicy, restrained, pristine - this is Sauvignon with an edge.” Perfectly cellared since release, this Holiday Special simply fell into my lap as it became available this morning (a distributor that they’ve been waiting on for two years to take their allocation finally told them they were going out of business and couldn’t purchase additional wine). One phone call was all I needed to take the whole lot - you don’t find wine like this at this price and I’m fairly certain that all of us can find a use for it in some way or another. We can’t spend a lot of time on this (from an allocation standpoint, as the margins do not dictate the ability to allocate) so this is first come first served - no exceptions - but I'll limit it to 24/person. This parcel has outstanding freshness and provenance - one of the deals of the year at any price: 2005 Hay Shed Hill “Sauvignon Blanc” (Estate) Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Aus6810