Experimentation is at the core of The Islander Estate Vineyard’s values.  When Bordeaux winemaker Jacques Lurton fell in love with Kangaroo Island thirty years ago, he envisioned creating a wine brand that blended the old-world wine techniques of his home with the new-world freedom to experiment and create innovative wines unlike any others. That spirit remains in our business today, especially in our small batch and single-release wines.

2022 Enigma

Variety:  100% Kangaroo Island Sauvignon Blanc

Inspiration: Our red wines are always wild fermented and receive extended maceration on skins to build the tannic structure.  The Enigma extends these red wine vinification methods into white wine with a skin contact Sauvignon Blanc, in the ‘orange wine’ style.  Allowing the wine to spend time on skins develops a dry white wine with texture, tannic structure and savoury, truly unique characteristics.

Production Techniques: Hand-picked Sauvignon Blanc is crushed before pulp, and juice is transferred to French oak demi-muid barrels for wild fermentation and remains untouched for seven months.  The wine is pressed and transferred to seasoned French oak barriques for a further year of aging.  The final wine is filtered and bottled with the very minimum of preservatives.

Tasting Notes: Enigma’s deep gold colour is the first hint that this is no ordinary Sauvignon Blanc.  The nose and mouth feel are the second.  Varietal characteristics of passionfruit, lime zest, ripe citrus and herbal notes blend with savoury/sour secondary characteristics from skin contact, the texture and tannic structure generally expected of a red wine.

Food Pairing: A white wine with the body, structure and complexity of a red wine offers lots of scope.  BBQ pork, red meats or a plate of tapas are all great options.