SALVIS GRATIA roughly translates to “Saving grace.” The CB boys call this new label a “secret project” crafted mid-vintage. Hand harvested from “some of the last remnants of the Madeira Semillon clone in the Barossa,” this vienyard planted by the Fechner brothers in 1983. The wine see 25% fermented and matured in a new French oak puncheon (6 months on lees)

Chaffey Bros. Wine Co., SALVIS GRATIA, Eden Valley, 2021

Medium pale lemon hue. Lemon curd, malt biscuit, ginger, roast nuts, roast chicken briny tang and with slightly sweeter structures of honeysuckle and birthday candle. Refreshing yet complex. The oak work giving nutty nuance with chewy phenolics while the well built fruit is ginger spiced, citrus focused and dry. There’s a very good counterpoint of weight and acidity creating a fundamentally delicious drink.

RRP: $30
Alc: 13.2%
Rating: 18.25/20 (93/100)

Wine sample courtesy of Chaffey Bros Wine Co