From the heart of Marlborough but a world apart. Handcrafted in tiny quantities for an incomparable artisan Sauvignon. Untamed, with long skin contact for complexity and texture, natural fermentation in barrel without any additions and many months on the fine lees for its famous silkiness. Dry and explosively rich, the pinnacle of a stately Sauvignon Blanc.

Vintage 2016

A beautiful season ended with a long Indian summer. We picked the luscious grapes from our 20-year-old vines in the early morning hours when fog still glided over the waters of the Wairau river. We picked the tiny yield (less than 1kg/vine) of sweet and tasty grapes at perfect physiological ripeness into small crates to be with Hans in the winery fresh and intact a few moments later.

Hans’ Winemaking Comments

Such purity in the fruit merits extended cold maceration to extract the wonderful flavours from the skins. Gently pressed, I then transferred the must directly into 500lit French oak puncheons (30% new) where it embarked upon a natural wild yeast fermentation followed by a natural secondary (malolactic) fermentation. The young wine was left on its pure lees, which was regularly stirred and responsible for the exquisite silkiness, complexity and depth. After 15 month of maturation in the barrel, we bottled this nectar with no cold stabilization or fining and only light filtration to retain the beautiful aromas. Natural sediments may show but do not impact on the high quality of this natural wine.

Tasting Note

The pure dry and full-bodied palate shows off with notes of white peach and red grapefruit balanced by a crisp acidity and fresh minerality. The complex wine lingers in the mouth with great vigour and persistence from start to finish. A harmonious expression of Sauvignon Blanc reminiscent of a truly mouth-watering Graves with class and composure.

Technical Data

Varieties 95% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Semillon Rootstock Riparia Gloire Vine Planted 1996 (grafted 2004) Soil Shallow (<45 cm) stony soil, well drained, developed from stony alluvium. Not one row shows the same soil type. Planting Density 5,500 vines/ha Yield 2.5t/ha Alcohol 14% Residual Sugar <1g/L

Food Matching Suggestions

Well suited to fish dishes, white meats, seafood and cheeses.