The Pretender stakes its claim

On-going innovation in the vineyard has continued to pay dividends for Angullong with the release of the 2011 Angullong ‘The Pretender’ Savagnin ($25).

Angullong is situated on the southern border of the Orange wine region and, over the past few years, has added to its already diverse range of varieties by planting and grafting a range of new alternative varieties. These trials include plantings of Savagnin, Tempranillo and more recently, Vermentino, Sagrantino and some newer imported clones of Sangiovese.

“We are optimistic about trialling these new varieties,” explained Angullong’s owner Ben Crossing. “We initially thought we were grafting Albariño, but it turned out to be Savagnin Blanc. Although it’s not the variety we thought we were growing, it has produced some lovely fruit and appears to be well suited to out cool climate.”

“We are one of around 40 producers of straight Savagnin in Australia, and possibly the world. The awkward name and the issues relating to Albariño do not appear to have affected the market as these wines are selling very well, both direct from the Cellar Door and through our retail partners. There is a bit of a groundswell with many of the producers sharing ideas and coming together to explore future collaboration.”

“This is our second vintage Savagnin. It has performed particularly well, even through the tough 2011 vintage. It has an early budburst and, with a moderate to low yield, ripens well, with good acidity.”

The 2011 vintage was challenging, with cooler ripening temperatures and a wet summer. Harvest was subsequently later than usual. “Given the trying circumstances, we had to selectively hand pick the Savagnin to ensure that the fruit was clean, as some bunches were affected by botrytis,” explained Ben Crossing.

The free run Savagnin juice and pressings were fermented together in stainless steel fermenters at cool temperatures to maintain the fresh, cool climate fruit flavours. A small component, of approximately ten percent of the blend, was allowed to undergo secondary malolactic fermentation in older oak, which was then added back to the final blend to give the wine an additional layer of complexity.

Pricing and Distribution:
The 2011 Angullong ‘The Pretender’ Savagnin retails for $25.00.
Angullong wines are distributed in NSW and ACT by Cogito Wines and direct from the Cellar Door at Millthorpe and via their website at www.angullong.com.au