2017 Sauvignon Blac

​Aroma
Intense aromas of blackcurrant, crushed lemongrass and thyme mingle with passionfruit and melon highlights.

Palate
A complex and elegant wine with classic characters of blackcurrant bud and fresh cut thyme. Underlying ripe fruit and mineral notes from the grapes grown in the Blind River sub region of Marlborough combine well with the more tropical notes of passionfruit and melon from the Wairau Valley vineyards. A stylish and pleasingly rich Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc with vibrant aromatics and a fine balance of acidity leading to a lingering finish.

Vintage
The 2017 growing season presented some challenges with a major earthquake in November affecting trellising at the home block. Variable weather during the flowering period in Spring delivered moderate crop levels and a cool and windy Summer required a lot of canopy manipulation. This hard work rewarded us with good quality fruit showing classic flavours and balance as the early Autumn rains approached. Careful harvest decisions along with fast and flexible picking and good management in the winery have ensured an exciting spectrum of flavours in the harvested grapes.

Vinification
Fruit grown on Fiona’s own Home Block vineyard was blended after fermentation with three select parcels of fruit from the Blind River, Dashwood, and Lower Wairau sub-regions. The fruit from each vineyard was independently monitored and harvested before being carefully pressed to ensure minimal skin contact to prevent juice deterioration. Once settled, the batches were cool fermented in stainless steel tanks using specific cultured yeasts to add complexity while retaining the fresh fruit characteristics from each of the individual vineyards. Shortly after blending the wine was prepared for bottling under a screw-cap closure.  

Wine Analysis
Alcohol 13.0% | TA 7.3 g/L | pH 3.23 | RS 2.8 g/L 

Acolades
Blue Gold / Top 100 Medal – 2018 Sydney International Wine Competition, Nov 17