• Dry style
• Passionfruit
• Concentrated
• Vibrant acidity

An organic wine grown in living soil. This Sauvignon Blanc wine is a true reflection of the grape. Clean and vibrant, a pure expression of New Zealand nature. This wine is a pale lemon colour. The nose is powerfully aromatic, with intense passionfruit, capsicum, fennel and white pepper notes. These echo on the palate which is medium-bodied with great concentration. Punchy flavours of citrus and green herbs complete this lively wine, sitting on vibrant fruit acids, and leading to a persistent finish. This wine is released ready to drink, with the classic profile of vibrant primary fruits at the forefront for the first two years. During careful cellaring for 2-4 years, the wine will broaden, soften, and savoury flavours of nettle and asparagus will emerge.

The fruit for this wine came from one certified organic block in our Omaka vineyard, in Marlborough’s Wairau Valley. This vineyard is on the Southern side of the valley, and cooler and drier than the North. Soil here is older, more structural, with a higher clay content. The higher nutrients here produce flavoursome, textural Sauvignon Blanc with a greener edge.

Niwa Clinfo database and Marlborough Research Centre online Weather data. New Zealand had ideal growing conditions leading into harvest with average crops and clean, intensively flavourful fruit with early budburst across all the wine regions. A slightly wetter December ensured healthy vines leading into the growing season and a drier than normal January and February created perfect conditions for veraison and grape ripening through to the start of harvest. Cooler nights in late February and March also helped lock in the natural acidity and freshness to the fruit. Just as in 2019, the dry February, March and April weather prevented disease from dictating harvest priorities and fruit quality was optimized. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris fruit quality was particularly pleasing with an early onset of ripening and harvest.

The vines are 15 year-old, Mass Selected clones, grown on SO4 rootstock. They are trained to VSP with 2 cane pruning, which keeps yields low and fruit quality high. The Sauvignon Blanc grapes for this wine were harvested on 31st March 2020, in optimal, dry harvest conditions. Machine harvesters were used and then the fruit immediately trucked to the winery for gentle pneumatic pressing. Juice was clarified with minimal oxygen contact and sent to a stainless steel tank for fermentation. Fermentation was started with selected aromatic yeasts, at cool temperature throughout. After fermentation the wine was blended and stabilised, then filtered before bottling. No oak was used in the winemaking, and no animal products. This wine is certified as organic and vegan.

Food Pairing: This wine has a big personality and will work well with a multitude of flavoursome dishes. Great served with cured meats and soft cheeses in a platter. Try with fresh salads featuring citrus vinaigrette and green herb accents. Mild curries will be a hit such as a Tandoori chicken or Biryani. Seafood is a classic match such as grilled fish fillets or king prawns and a squeeze of lemon. Tomato based dishes will also work well including many Italian meals from simple pizza margherita through to a rich ragu.