Courtesy of James Halliday's 2015 new winery of the year comes this sensational drop. The last few vintages have been doing more than just turning heads, and this is no different.
It's a twist on Margaret River Sauv Blanc, 11 month oak maturation adding complexity and really setting it apart from the crowd.
The nose has it all, an exotic menagerie of stonefruit, guava and citrus plus a hint of toasty oak. More nectarine, tropical fruit and citrus on the palate, with some flinty mineral notes. Texturally there's body derived from the oak sitting alongside the intense and ripe fruitiness. Great length and finish, this is an absolute steal at the price.
We recommend you buy a dozen and enjoy twice a year - this wine will last the distance...whether you're able to avoid succumbing and drinking the lot is another matter!
Awards and Accolades
96 Points - James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion "Hand-picked from a single 20yo vineyard at Karridale in southern Margaret River, whole bunch-pressed, fermented in used oak barrels and one new 600l demi muid, 11 months maturation before bottling followed by 18 months bottle maturation. Gleaming straw-green, it has all the layered complexity and depth that is the touchstone of its '12 predecessor, unlike any other sauvignon blanc in Australia."
2012 Vintage
97 Points - James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion "Follows closely in the thoroughly unorthodox, but brilliantly successful, '11 inaugural release: barrel fermentation and 11 months oak maturation, then 18 months in bottle prior to release. The synergy between the grape and the vinification, orchestrated by winemaker Stuart Pym, is spectacularly successful; the flavours are a Joseph's Coat of complexity, yet indivisible. Zesty acidity means the wine will outlast almost all other sauvignon blancs."
94 Points - Campbell Mattinson, Wine Front "Barrel fermented and aged. Margaret River sauvignon blanc at its richest. It’s a mouthful. It’s impressive. It’s so rich it’s almost too much; it certainly stands out from the pack. Pow. Honeysuckle, jellied lime, gravel, lemongrass and slippery, spicy oak-derived characters. Excellent length. Concentration plus. One of those ‘it is what it is’ wines."
From the Winery
Flowstone is the distillation of 30 years of winemaking of Stuart Pym, and the unbridled passion for great wine of Phil Giglia. Stuart started in the wine industry in 1983 when he moved to Margaret River to help his parents in their vineyard and winery in Willyabrup. 1983 was the keystone year when his parents started their own wine label Sussex Vale and moved to Margaret River full time. This vineyard has since become the well regarded Hayshed Hill.
Don't Pay: $29.00
WBW Rating: 96/100
Closure: Stelvin
Region: Margaret River, WA
Winemaker: Stuart Pym
Drink now until: 2022
Alc/Vol: 12.5 %