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After twenty years of applying his passion and expertise to the countless vintages for local producers, renowned winemaker Bruce Dukes has launched Domaine Naturaliste his own range of wines, named for the southwest region where he has honed his craft.

An elegant and restrained cool-climate style Shaw & Smith M3 Chardonnay has been at the forefront of the modern Australian Chardonnay renaissance. Displaying notes of nectarine and citrus underpinned by crisp acidity, it evolves over time to reveal layers of toasty, mealy complexity.

The wine is immediately appealing on the nose showing brightly fruited notes of lemon peel, white fleshy nectarine and grapefruit with a subtle touch of sweet basil leaves. It is juicy and vibrant on the palate with youthful fruit intensity together with crisp acidity, finishing long and mouth-watering.

Pale yellow youthful green tinges, which I equate with quality young chardonnay. Aromatics are instantly very serious. Intense fruit nectarines and white peaches melding with lemon citrus beautiful French oak hovering just above the wine at the moment intense more than a cursory nod to Burgundy. The tiniest whiff of sulphides perfect for a wine of this age. When sipped, the wine shows its incredible intensity, no doubt derived from the very low yield.

Rich stone fruit core with butterscotch and smooth balanced oak.

Umamu create exquisite handcrafted wines. Each bottle is deliberately and meticulously created: from the delicate balance tasted within each glass, to the small touches of family handwriting and messages on our labels. Our philosophy has always been to give our wines time to age in the bottle before release, a rarity in today’s market. Enjoying wines when they are ready to drink, rather than straight after bottling, is the reason Umamu wines have developed such a pleasant and sophisticated texture. 2008 is just glorious on its own or with food. It is all grown up and ready to go. This vintage is going down well with Umamu SBS fans, why not have a go?

The current release of the Fire Gully Sauvignon Blanc Semillon is a superb exampe of the blend. Complex and interesting with fascinating oyster shell aromatics, intense pure white tropical flavours with schisty minerally notes: powerful, vibrand and tangy, finishing fresh and zesty. Irresistible summer drinking.