2024 Nomads Garden Skin Contact Field Blend 750ml

Overview

Nomads Garden Skin Contact Field Blend is a distinctive low-intervention white made from Grenache Blanc, Arneis and Fiano grown together at Melville’s Vineyard in Rutherglen. All three varieties are harvested and fermented together, followed by an extended period on skins to build texture and complexity while retaining clean aromatics and freshness.

Vineyard

The fruit comes from Melville’s Vineyard on the eastern side of the Rutherglen wine region. The vines were planted in 1997 on red clay loam at approximately 180 metres elevation, with east-west row orientation. The warmer Rutherglen climate is particularly well suited to Mediterranean varieties such as Grenache Blanc, Arneis and Fiano.

Winemaking

This is a true field blend, with Grenache Blanc, Arneis and Fiano harvested and fermented together. The fruit was machine picked in the cool of the night, crushed and transferred to variable-capacity fermenters. Fermentation took place with indigenous wild yeast at approximately 25°C, with one pump-over per day until dry.

Once fermentation was complete, the wine remained untouched on skins for approximately 100–150 days. The wine was then drawn away without pressing the skins, racked twice and bottled unfined and unfiltered. A small addition of 30 ppm SO2 was made immediately before bottling.

Producer Tasting Notes

Clean aromatics with a soft yet complex textured mouthfeel. Extended skin contact brings subtlety and nuance without the hard phenolic or tannic character often associated with this style.

Producer

Nomads Garden was established in 2017 by winemaker Ben Dahlenburg and his partner Ellie. Based in Eldorado in North East Victoria, the winery focuses on low-intervention, single-vineyard wines made with wild yeasts and fruit sourced from recognised regions across North East Victoria.

Specifications

• Vintage: 2024
• Producer: Nomads Garden
• Country: Australia
• Region: Rutherglen, Victoria
• Vineyard: Melville’s Vineyard
• Grape Varieties: Grenache Blanc, Arneis, Fiano
• Wine Style: Skin Contact White Wine
• Vines Planted: 1997
• Soil: Red clay loam
• Elevation: Approximately 180 metres
• Row Orientation: East-West
• Grower: Matt Partridge
• Harvest: Machine harvested at night
• Fermentation: Indigenous wild yeast; approximately 25°C
• Skin Contact: Approximately 100–150 days
• Fining: None
• Filtration: Unfiltered
• SO2 Addition: 30 ppm before bottling