Winemaker Notes
Uniquely Central Otago. Lively aromatics with fresh vibrant passionfruit and pink grapefruit notes, underpinned by refined minerality.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This has ample lemon and grassy elements that deliver a very fleshy impression on the palate with bold, lime and lemon notes, as well as apples. Drink now. Screw cap.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2018 Amisfield Sauvignon Blanc offers excellent depth of fruit and palate textures. TASTING NOTES: This wine exhibits aromas and flavors of dried earth, leaves, and ripe citrus. Enjoy it was a dozen lemon peel-accented raw oysters. (Tasted: August 27, 2020, San Francisco, CA)
Capable of a vast array of styles, Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp, refreshing variety that equally reflects both terroir and varietal character. Though it can vary depending on where it is grown, a couple of commonalities always exist—namely, zesty acidity and intense aromatics. This variety is of French provenance. Somm Secret—Along with Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc is a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon. That green bell pepper aroma that all three varieties share is no coincidence—it comes from a high concentration of pyrazines (herbaceous aromatic compounds) inherent to each member of the family.
Home to the globe’s most southerly vineyards, which are cultivated below the 45th parallel, Central Otago is a true one-of-a-kind wine growing region, but not only because of its extreme location.
Central Otago is more dependent on one single variety than any other region in New Zealand—and it isn’t Sauvignon blanc. They don’t even make Sauvignon blanc there.
Pinot Noir claims nearly 75% of the region’s vineyards with Pinot Gris coming in a far second place and Riesling behind it. This is also New Zealand’s only wine region with a continental climate, giving it more diurnal and seasonal temperature shifts than any other.
The subregion of Bannockburn has enjoyed the most success historically but the area’s exceptional growth has moved to the promising regions of Cromwell/Bendigo and Alexandra districts. Central Otago is known for its fruity and full-bodied Pinot noir. With the freedom to experiment here, growers and winemakers are easily exhibiting the area’s great potential.