Sapling Yard’s fab Fiori field blend + more newish releases

Carla & Malcolm from Sapling Yard must spend a lot of time in the car.

Lots of travel is not unusual for winemakers who bring in multi-regional fruit, but every time I see a small producer with grapes from four or five different regions (or different ends of a big region, for that matter), I just think ‘lots of podcasts’.

Indeed, just this assortment of Sapling Yard wines includes grapes from Tumbarumba, Canberra, Braidwood and the NSW Hilltops, which is about 4 or 5 hours of driving end to end.

So many podcasts.

Anyway, it’s worth it for the eclectic range of delights that Sapling Yard delivers. The house style of delicacy and fragrance with intensity is always compelling, and every new box delivers something different. It’s like a wine lolly bag.

Of course, I can see that not everyone is going to love these light-touch reds and aromatic whites, but I really appreciate the pinpoint definition of the typical Sapling Yard wine.

Today’s winner is this excellent Canberran white:

Sapling Yard Fiori 2024

A blend of Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Blanc in aromatic field blend mode, with all of the grapes from Canberra. A little skin contact here goes a long way to drive the texture, but this also smells fantastic – a proper Alsace style. Concentrated floral juice, a little linaloool and musk lemon drop and more wildly aromatic bits. It’s tangy but punchy, and never strays into fatness – it’s a beautiful floral pretty wine of surprising floral juicy intensity. Feels really light on its feet and powerful. Lovely! 18.5/20, 94/100. 12%, $30.

Also from Sapling Yard:

Sapling Yard The Extrovert Mourvedre Shiraz Touriga 2023

Extroverted for Sapling Yard’s delicate style, but just right otherwise. Hilltops fruit here, and it’s meant to be forward and, well, extroverted, but really, it’s a quite poised medium-bodied red. Pinot-like rather than dark or heavy. No obvious oak helps, with cherry and dark raspberry, lithe blackberry and a little stemmy spice. Don’t come expecting a South Australian-style red. It’s slightly sour, blackberries, fresh, a little stemmy and oh-so-pretty wine. 18/20, 93/100. 13.2%, $30.

Sapling Yard The Four Pinots 2024

It’s like the four horseman, but more enjoyable drinking and less apocalypse. All four Pinot are on show here: Gris, Noir, Meunier (controversially given the move to just call old mate Pinot Meunier ‘Meunier‘) & Blanc. The first three varieties are from the Moppity Vineyard in Tumbarumba, and the Pinot Blanc comes from Carla’s OG vineyard in Braidwood. The Gris spent some time on skins and makes up 60% of the blend, giving this a lovely ramato pinkness. This looks unreal, actually – salmon-orange ish in a not-quite-Provence-rosé and not-quite-orange-wine vibe. You can smell stone fruit of the Gris on the nose, but all sorts of things in the blend – musk, orange, pink grapefruit, white nectarine. It’s cool and crisp but also generous too, with plenty going on. A fancy rosé, in a way, but with a sense of lightness and body, too. Really good. 18/20, 93/100. 12.5%, $30.

Sapling Yard Lake George Viognier 2023

A Viognier from Lake George, why not? A fragrant and quite delicate expression of Canberran Viognier, too. Just 50 cases produced here, which is probably the only down. Gentle honeysuckle and apricot, deft touch and leans towards acidity and freshness. Graceful but a little light. Crunchy and a little floral, it’s a very drinkable thing without being too apricot jammy. 17.7/20, 92/100. 12.5%, $38.

Sapling Yard Pinot Noir Gamay 2023

A lovely Passetoutgrains take from the Sapling Yard Braidwood Vineyard. A bit of woody hedgerow and black stemmy elements, very light cherry and raspberry fruit. A little funk, shedloads of acidity, the mode is fresh and frisky, light spiced red. Perhaps a bit too light and bony, but super refreshing and not without herbal persistence. 17.5/20, 91/100. 11.5%, $32.