Description
“The sheer quality of the wines he makes is equalled only by his consistency” James Halliday.
When I met winemaker Bruce Dukes from Domaine Naturaliste I was bowled over by how striking every wine was that I tasted in his lineup … A rare occurrence when you’re tasting wines every day.
The success did not happen by accident. He has an intimate knowledge of all the terroirs of Margaret River after spending 25 years honing his craft with leading Margaret River producers such as Pierro wines. He is a trained agronomist and has a Masters in viticulture and Oenology from U.C. Davis … he also worked for 4 years at Neibaum Coppola in Napa, USA. Bruce seeks freshness of fruit, perfume, texture, overall balance, restraint with low to moderate alcohol in all his beautiful wines. Domaine Naturaliste is named after the northern most Cape of Margaret River, Cape Naturaliste, where the winery is situated. Minuscule production of top shelf wines across the board.
2023 is here… 2 parts Sauvignon Blanc to 1 part Semillon, is a knockout with purity, texture and mouthwatering succulence.
About this wine and the 2024 vintage from the winemaker: “A moderate and sunny 2023 Vintage set the vines up with fertile buds and good stocks of carbohydrate for Vintage 2024. Spring was warm and dry, allowing for uniform and rapid budburst and perfect conditions for flowering. Lower than average soil moisture and higher than average temperatures through late spring and early summer allowed for smaller berries with better spacing on the bunch, setting the stage for a concentrated and intensely flavoured crop. The continued higher than average temperatures led to an early vintage, with white varieties characterised by scintillating levels of natural acidity and immense fruit power and purity. The long and dry finish to the season allowed ample hang-time for red varieties, culminating in concentrated red and black fruit flavours, balanced by perfectly ripe and coating tannin.”
“95% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% Semillon. Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon are captured to highlight their attractiveness in its youth. Fruit is harvested based on flavours and natural acidity. 15% of the blend is fermented in new French Oak barriques, with the remaining 85% fermented in seasoned French oak Puncheons. After fermentation the blend is aged on lees in oak with fortnightly battonage for 2 months.
“Complex layered and blended white. Sauvignon offering lifted fragrances of gooseberry and lychee, with Semillon offering fig, white grapefruit and a mineral component. The portion of barrel fermentation introduces exotic spice and textural harmonization.”
95pts Gold, Margaret River Wine Show 2024
95 points, Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion “There’s texture, flavour, brightness and good fruit flavours within – lots of lemon and mandarin, a touch of lime and barely a hint of tropical fruit, more gooseberry, if anything. There’s a succulence and mouth-watering, neat acidity keeping it bopping along, a layer of creaminess and more. Nice one.”
94 points Decanter, Cass Charlick “Sauvignon Blanc is the life of the party here, contributing 95% of the blend; the remaining 5% comes from 39 year old Semillon vines…An SBS to drink in the glory of its youth, it walks the line of freshness and complexity with lifted aromatics underpinned by savour base notes…Impeccable fruit offers waves of flavour, fine-grained texture, bright acidity and finishes with lengthy finesse. This has it all. a cracker of a wine.”
RRP $29 **Our Special Price $23.99 when you buy 6 or more of this wine**
