Regional Highlight: Sauvignon Blanc and Rosé
The Millbrook Regional Range celebrates a number of alternative varietals from vineyards across Western Australia’s best wine-growing regions and includes seven vibrant wines, handcrafted from fruit sourced from the Perth Hills, Margaret River, Geographe, Great Southern and Swan Valley.
Read on to explore more about the Sauvignon Blanc and Rosé from the Regional Range.
Originating from the Loire Valley in France, Sauvignon Blanc (sew-vin-yon blanc) is a white wine varietal that is now found all over the world due to its tolerance to various climate and soil conditions. Sauvignon Blanc is known for strong herbaceous, grassy and gooseberry notes associated with an aroma compound called Methoxypyrazines. The climate this varietal is grown in will heavily influence the Methoxypyrazine concentration, producing many different wine styles to enjoy.
One of the regions this varietal is particularly suited to is Margaret River in Western Australia, where approximately 1,121 hectares of Sauvignon Blanc are planted. The wines from this region reflect some of the purest varietal characters in Australia, with a harmonious balance between fruit and acidity, as well as an elegant expression of the Methoxypyrazine aromatics.
Many winemakers in Margaret River blend Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon together in what is commonly known as an SSB blend. Millbrook Winemaker Emma Gillespie instead prefers to celebrate the single varietal, showcasing the great depth of fruit flavour, freshness and lively acidity that is unique to Sauvignon Blanc from this region. In doing so she has created a pure expression that truly represents the terroir of Margaret River. Her expertise has been rewarded with the wine receiving a silver medal at the Rutherglen Wine Show 2021.
This wine exhibits vibrant tropical and citrus aromas with herbaceous notes of freshly-cut grass. On the palate, this is a refreshing, dry style bursting with gooseberry and zesty acidity. Emma recommends drinking this wine with fresh Western Australian seafood on a hot summer day.
The Regional Range Rosé is made from the Tempranillo (temp-ra-nee-yo) varietal, famously associated with the Rioja wines of Spain. Although Australia only accounts for 10% of the world's Tempranillo vines, it is one of the fastest expanding varietals in the country and as Viticulturist John Fogarty has discovered, extremely well-suited to the Geographe area of Western Australia.
The coastal climate in the Geographe region has a large influence on fruit expression with warm days suitable to ripen and soften tannins, as well as cold nights which retain high natural acidity in the fruit. This unique expression makes the Tempranillo perfect for producing a crisp and coveted European style of Rosé.
Emma utilises a delicate winemaking approach to further harness this vibrancy – the Tempranillo undergoes a gentle pressing cycle and the ferment is kept at cool temperatures to retain aromatic freshness. The resulting Millbrook Regional Range Rosé is pale blush in colour, with a dry, refreshing and fruit-forward palate found only in the very best Rosé wines. This wine is brimming with red berries and strawberry shortcake, achieving the ultimate Rosé balance of dryness, acidity and fruit.
This Rosé is perfect to enjoy tucked away on the Millbrook estate for an afternoon, with one of the restaurant's picnic baskets featuring house-made pâté, a fresh baguette and pickled vegetables from estate-grown produce.
Explore the Millbrook Regional Range through our curated discovery pack.
We are also offering a limited time offer; receive $25 off your purchase when six or more wines from the Millbrook Regional Range are purchased. Use the code Regional25 to redeem this reward at checkout.
