Sauvignon Blanc Fumé – 2024

Sauvignon Blanc Fumé - by Oliver Zeter

The Zeter Sauvignon Blanc Fumé 2022 by Oliver Zeter is the pinnacle of Sauvignon Blanc. Through skillful use of oak, the wine acquires both typical Sauvignon Blanc notes and a penetrating finish with slightly smoky (French: fumé) aromas. If you succumb to the charm of this special wine, you should buy a 6-bottle case and enjoy one bottle each year to experience how wonderfully this wine can mature. But don't be upset if after 5 years you only have one bottle of Oliver Zeter's Sauvignon Blanc Fumé 2022 left in your cellar.

This is how the winemaker describes his wine: "The Fumé 2022 possesses a distinct intensity. It displays aromas of tomato leaf, star fruit, and yellow kiwi. Flinty, slightly reductive aromas subtly enrich the bouquet. The mouthfeel is balanced and reveals a sublime texture with elegant mellowness. The dancing finish is immensely extended by a ripe acidic structure."

Sauvignon Blanc Fumé – Zeter Signature Wine

The grapes from Oliver Zeter's best vineyards are hand-sorted, spontaneously fermented without must clarification, and exclusively aged in 300 and 500-liter French oak barrels. After a long aging on the lees until summer, the wines are bottled without fining before autumn. The complexity of these wines is the focus here, encased by the fine expression of the wooden barrel. The result is a Zeter Signature Wine with depth, elegance, and structure.

A total of eight vineyards in the Southern Palatinate and on the Central Haardt are planted with seven different Sauvignon Blanc clones. A decisive advantage here is the different microclimates of the various sites, which positively influences the diversification of aromas. The soils on which the vines grow are as diverse as the sites themselves. The training is mostly cordon, which leads to a more linear and thus easier to manage grape zone. The vineyards are permanently greened, partly with natural herbs and partly with grass seeding.

The "Fumé" always comes from Oliver Zeter's oldest and best vineyards; only the finest and ripest grapes are selected and hand-picked into small, 20-kilo boxes. The grapes are then milled and pressed. The juice is immediately placed in new and used French oak barriques, and the must is spontaneously fermented there. Malolactic fermentation is suppressed. Afterwards, the wine, along with its fine lees, is placed in stainless steel tanks – where it remains until bottling in summer.

A Wine and its Values

• Origin Wine from Germany
• Growing region Palatinate
• Oliver Zeter
• Grape variety Sauvignon Blanc
• 13 % vol. alcohol
• 5.8 g/l acidity
• 1.3 g/l residual sugar