Sorrenberg Inkerman Rd Semillon et al 2020

The devasting fires of 2020 unfortunately caused Sorrenberg to declassify all the 2020 fruit to a second label. However, don’t let this take away from a couple very quaffable wines, albeit ones to drink up now. Lovely Semillon freshness on the nose; bright, tangy citrus, a little spice and a very faint hint of complimentary char. In the mouth, it has an initial breadth and creaminess but a lick of acid and texture brings great drive, with overlays of stonefruit and meal. – Jeremy Muller, FWC. 

“I was down in Beechworth just after the 2020 bushfires rolled through and happened upon fermenting grapes and grapes left on vines. I visited Sorrenberg and tasted the early ferments of white grapes and caught the first days of gamay macerating in juice. I couldn’t taste smoke taint in the wines, but Barry Morey, wise, been-there-done-that, said something along the lines of ‘I remember the last time fires ran through and did similar to our grapes and it came late, though these look pretty alright now, I know to bide my time”. And so the juice was tested, and “while there are minimal free smoke compounds there are some bound compounds, so we are recommending it is a drink now style”. There will be no 2020 Sorrenberg label wines. There’s this and a gamay et al instead. Loyalists will get something. Oh, and the Rose.

Let’s get past the big question… there’s not much smoke issue here for me. A touch of bitterness in the finish, a little smoky acrid tang in the mid palate, nothing up front or in perfume. We get a delicious white wine around all that, zingy with acidity, lemon squeezed on fresh stone fruit feel, some light, creamy nougat notes softening around that fruit character. Length is a little shorter than the usual whites of Sorrenberg, but freshness is here in spades. Yes, drink younger, but this is a real delight in the glass as it stands. Drink 2021 – 2023” 92 Points. Mike Bennie, The Wine Front.