Bobar 'Savant' Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

The Savant is an exploration of the earthen, terrestrial elements of the dramatic Nenagh Park landscape that lies directly over the Yarra faultline. Fertile loam rich in life and peppered with Silurian gravels eroded over millennia from the steep Christmas Hills escarpment and surrounded by a wetland and remnant pastured-forest ecosystems. This property is protected in perpetuity by a wildlife covenant due to its unique remnant ecosystems. Unsulphured, unfiltered Cabernet Sauvignon.

A tiny parcel of Yarra Valley Cabernet Sauvignon planted in the late 1980’s. It faces east, tucked into the base of the Christmas Hills, protected and hidden. The wines from the parcel have an ease, balance and restraint, the mature vines delivering depth and intensity without weight or undue effort.

The 2020/21 season was a pleasure, the second cool season in a row. Great spring rain, enough sunshine and warmth for decent fruitset and crops followed by a mild summer with good rainfall throughout. The wines reflect this in their purity of fruit and balance of freshness and complexity.

A small amount of whole bunches were crushed by foot before the rest of the harvest was hand-sorted directly into the small fermenter. Over the course of a 24 day maceration the bunches were gradually crushed by hand, maintaining a cool ferment and slow extraction. It was matured in old oak casks until early summer and bottled without fining, filtration or addition of sulphur dioxide.

A complex and compact nose. Fresh berries and currants, threads of wet stone, mint and damp earth. The palate is medium-bodied and taut, energetic and intensely focussed. A cloak of fine-grained ferrous tannins and fresh acidity around pure Cabernet Sauvignon.