Sauvignon blanc 2010

A cooler year has helped produce one of our most aromatic Sauvignon Blanc’s to date. For our Martinborough Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc we temper the grapes natural exuberance by fermenting a portion of the wine in oak barrels to help create complexity and texture into the wine. This year we have increased the barrel ferment portion up to 20%.

Typically our Sauvignon Blanc exhibits perfumed aromas of passionfruit and guava with tropical and vanilla notes on the nose. On the palate the ripe fruit character is beautifully balanced against creamy notes from the barrel fermentation portion creating a harmonious and balanced wine with great length and texture.

VINEYARD

The grapes are sourced entirely from our own vineyards within the Martinborough Appellation. All blocks are carefully hand harvested, selecting only the ripest Sauvignon Blanc grapes for this wine. With an emphasis on quality, all our vineyard work is done to achieve riper flavours whilst maintaining balance and texture from this wonderfully aromatic grape variety.

Martinborough has a cool, maritime climate along with other beneficial climatic drivers including a rain shadow, one of the country’s largest diurnal temperature differentials, windy springs and a long warm ripening period through autumn.  All this results in a natural low-vigour site regulating crops and enabling high quality, consistent, ripe fruit.

WINEMAKING

All fruit is carefully hand harvested and sorted before entering the winery gate. We gently press the grapes and cool ferment the juice in stainless steel vats to reflect and enhance the classic Sauvignon Blanc fruit character.  This year we have blended in twenty percent of Sauvignon that has been barrel fermented in new and old French oak barrels to give added texture, balance and increase complexity.

SEASON

2010 was a very nervous year for grapegrowers in Martinborough. The season started off auspiciously with six cold frosty nights in a row. Spring was cool and very windy. We entered summer at least two weeks behind average and with January being grey, cloudy and wet things weren’t looking flash. Thankfully a brilliant warm sunny March and April followed and the grapes were able to be harvested in optimum condition.