Borachio Battered Sav Savagnin 2020

Battered Sav is a 75% Chardonnay and 25% Savagnin blend sourced from the very sandy soils of the Mount Compass area on the Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia. The site sits closer to the coast than its proximity to McLaren Vale might suggest, with a cooler, more maritime feel and relatively high rainfall. 2020 was a lean vintage in this corner of South Australia, but the fruit that made it to the bottle was reportedly exceptional.

Winemakers Mark Warner and Alicia Basa whole-cluster pressed the grapes, co-fermented the two varieties, and ran fermentation to nearly dry in stainless steel before moving the wine into a mix of old 225L, 300L, and 500L barrels for a rest. The wine was bottled unfined, unfiltered, and with zero added SO2. The reference point for this wine is the ouillé style of white Burgundy-adjacent wines from the Jura, specifically the work of Céline Gormally at Les Dolomies.

Borachio has been making wine in South Australia since 2016. Mark and Alicia previously worked with James Erskine at Jauma before building their own label, sourcing organic fruit from Mount Compass and Mount Torrens. Their approach is minimal-intervention without the ideology: no additives, but with a practical, problem-solving mindset in the cellar.