Savaterre Syrah 2022

Savaterre Syrah 2022

One such producer is Keppell Smith, owner of Savaterre  a small vineyard closely planted on ancient granitic buckshot soils over decomposed clay. Purchased in 1996, Keppell fine tuned his love of old world fine wine, Burgundy in particular, in the finance industry, prior to scouring over the Victorian countryside to find the perfect site for making European inspired wines. The vineyard, farmed using organic practices, sits at 440m above sea level and is planted to a mix of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Sagrantino.

I’m tasting this alongside the 2021 Syrah, and they are really quite different! The 2021 is silky, nutty and smooth, and this 2022 is way more meaty, spicy and kind of wild. That’s no bad thing to me, as who wants every vintage to taste the same? What would be the point?

Plenty of stalky and spicy character here, and quite meaty too. There’s cherry and blackberry, dried herbs, peanut shells, some grain and grip to tannin, cracked pepper, bright acidity, with a rusty finish of good length. It’s a spicy devil, and a little bit wild too, and I like the kind of mulchy autumnal character it offers, as a point of difference. Maybe from a cooler, more marginal year for Shiraz, but it does have energy. 92 Points - Gary Walsh, The Wine Front