• Dry style
• Partial-barrel ferment
• White passionfruit
• Lemon balm

"This is one of the region’s most sophisticated, subtle and satisfying Sauvignons Blancs. It’s also one of the most important, given its widespread international distribution and certified BioGro status. The wine (which includes Sémillon – 10 per cent in 2023) is estate-grown in the Raupo Creek Vineyard, and mostly fermented in tanks with use of indigenous yeasts, but part of the blend (10 per cent in 2023) is fermented and lees-aged in seasoned French oak casks. Bright, light lemon/green, the 2023 vintage (4.5*) is fresh and medium-bodied, with strong, ripe, tropical fruit flavours, showing considerable complexity, and a dry (0.8 grams/litre of residual sugar) finish" Michael Cooper, Feb 2024

"Restrained with poise and elegance, the wine shows white flesh nectarine, basil, green tea and lemon zest aromas, leading to a beautifully weighted palate that’s finely flowing and lively. Delightfully textured and structured with a persistent elegant finish. Certified organic. At its best: now to 2030" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Feb 2024

"Rich, weighty and tangy with a pleasing texture and flavours that suggest green capsi-cum, lime juice, cut grass and passionfruit supported by assertive acidity which helps drive a lengthy, drying finish" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, Feb 2024

"Very attractive bouquet of fruits and pungency, variety and power. Flavours of pineapple and fresh angelica leaf, red apple and gooseberry, nettles and white spice, cool stone minerality and fine lees. The acid line pulls everything together set in a medium- weighted style, sligthly saline with a fleshy note on the finish" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Mar 2024

"Wild fermentation, a little bit of barrel-aging on lees and a 10% addition of Sémillon in the blend make the 2023 Sauvignon Blanc far from your stereotypical Marlborough style. This wine plays on its clarity, texture and freshness. It’s aromatically subtle, with green notes meeting nectarine and blackcurrant. While the region’s natural freshness abounds, the wine retains a round shape and natural curve before being sewn up by a thread of acidity. There are layers of interest here that will keep you coming back" Rebecca Gibb, Master of Wine, Apr 2024

A truly thoughtful and classy expression of Sauvignon Blanc. The nose exudes vibrancy, showing lifted notes of white passionfruit and lemon balm, supported by a savoury, leafy edge, contributed by the inclusion of Sémillon. The palate is layered a textural, balanced by a slate-like, mineral acidity. The exclusive use of native yeasts and a portion of the wine aging on lees in oak barrels has aided in creating this sophisticated Sauvignon Blanc.

Our clay rich Raupo Creek vineyard, farmed following organic and biodynamic principles is located in the centre of the Omaka Valley. This vineyard has a gentle north-west facing aspect and enjoys high sunshine hours and minimal rain.

Despite the challenging season that Mother Nature provided early on, the vineyard at Raupo shone, looking remarkably vibrant, alive and healthy. We were blessed also with a lovely even flowering so the bunches in general were smaller and evenly spread across the canopy, and naturally low. Smaller berries and bunches certainly gave a level of concentration that was welcomed. The season was not easy, and certainly wet in the months leading up to harvest; so to see the cleanliness of the fruit was very encouraging. This was a direct result of the judicious management by our vineyard team, who all worked tirelessly all season despite the weather. Luckily, for the first time in several years, for the whole harvest period, we had a run of very dry, settled weather which enabled the team to harvest each plot exactly when we wished.

Seven parcels of fruit were picked from our biodynamic vineyard, Raupo Creek. The grapes were pressed and the juice settled naturally before being racked, taking light lees to small stainless steel tanks or older French oak barriques and puncheons for natural fermentation. The parcels remained on lees for 5 months, then were blended, stabilised and filtered. A small portion of Sémillon (10%) is included in the blend. The portion of barrel fermentation is 10%. There is no new oak in this wine.