2023 LVDO Forreston White
WINEMAKER: Marcell Kustos
REGION: Adelaide Hills, SA
VARIETY: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc
VITICULTURE: Organic/Biodynamic
70% Chardonnay and 30% Sauvignon Blanc from a spectacular vineyard in the Adelaide Hills. The same Chardonnay grapes used to go into Penfolds Yattarna/Reserve Bin A, but these days, the owners prefer to work with smaller winemakers and handshake deals instead of contracts. Now, we share this vineyard with Shaw+Smith, Murdoch Hill, Les Fruits, and The Other Right, to mention a few.
My purpose with this wine was to make a fully flavoured yet mineral and saline white wine that captures the Adelaide Hills. Chardonnay/Sauvignon also happens to be an ever-popular blend in Central-East Europe and a nod to my home country, Hungary. The inclusion of Sauvignon Blanc adds that lifted herbal freshness I really love in Chablis, while the Chardonnay aged on lees brings an almond meal-like texture.
Regarding winemaking, the Chardonnay was barrel-fermented (in 12 years old American oak), the Sauvignon was tank-fermented and both aged in old French oak for 14 months and for further 2 months as a blend.
I'm a winemaker by trade, turned wine scientist turned sommelier (Penfolds Magill Estate, Restaurant Botanic), and now back to winemaking, farming, and studying for my MW exam. LVDO is my creative outlet inspired by some of the great wines and vineyards of the world that have stimulated my passion over the years. The wines are quintessentially Australian with a distinctive European flair. They celebrate historic Aussie styles (Claret, Red Burgundy), popular blends of Central Europe (Chardonnay/Sauvignon; Moscato Giallo et al.), and a blind ambition (Australia's first collectible Shiraz rosé). After all, it is also my reflection as a Hungarian wine scientist turned sommelier pursuing winemaking in Australia’s prime wine regions.
Everything starts with organically/biodynamically farmed vineyards specifically chosen for the style of wine. It's crucial for me to oversee the whole process from growing to harvest to making and bottling. Perhaps my winemaking is best described as natural or minimal interventionist with a focus on purity, precision, and texture. All movements are done by gravity, and all wines are fermented with ambient yeast, unfined and unfiltered. The only additive is SO2 in small quantities (depending on the pH and mainly before bottling).