Decibel Wines Crownthorpe Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2017
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Robert
Parker
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Rich and intense passion fruit with hints of elderflower and gooseberry, citrus and honeysuckle. Some autolysis characteristics remain with richness on the back-nose giving more headier notes. The front palate is lively with crisp peach notes, a soft mid-palate of honey dew and fresh stone fruit racing towards the finish with a lingering, chalky textural note on the cheeks giving a zesty finish.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Classic ripe stone fruit and gooseberry aromas mark the nose of the 2017 Crownthorpe Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc. It's medium-bodied, grassy and citrusy on the palate, with a touch of sweet-tasting nectarine on the finish.
Decibel, Testify, and Giunta Wines are winemaker's, Daniel Brennan, vision to create wines using classic practices, minimal intervention, and wines with a community based attitude. These are ideas as old as wine itself and he believe strongly in them. However he look to the future as well. He has now had the privilege to work with some of these growers for years and can support their efforts to convert to organics. And as the lineup grows it is with great care to continue to find organic producers to work with. He looks at a time
when we use smart practices in the vineyard and the winery that not only inspire but preserve our great planet.
Decibel Wines came from Daniel's love of music and need to make Martinborough Pinot Noir. Daniel had tasted Martinborough Pinot Noir back at his family restaurant in Philly and it inspired him to travel penniless to New Zealand. While he was studying winemaking he discovered how great Hawke's Bay Malbec and Sauvignon Blanc was and Decibel was thus born, Decibel Wines are a mix of classic and unsung varieties from Hawke's Bay and Martinborough.
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.
An eclectic region on the east coast of the North Island, Hawkes Bay extends from wide, fertile, coastal plains, inland, to the coast range, whose peaks reach as high as 5,300 feet. While the flatter areas were historically more popular because they are easier to cultivate, their alluvial soils can be too fertile for vines. In the late 20th century, the drive for quality led growers to the hills where soils are free-draining, limestone-rich and more suited to producing high quality wines.
Over the passing of time, the old Ngaruroro River laid down deep, gravelly beds, which were subsequently exposed after a huge flood in the 1860’s. In the 1980s growers identified this stretch, which continues for approximately 800 ha, and named it the Gimblett Gravels. The zone has proven to be ideal for the production of excellent red wines, particularly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah.
Today the area takes well-earned recognition for its Bordeaux blends and other reds. Expressive of intense stewed red and black berry with gentle herbaceous characters, Gimblett Gravels wines are suggestive of their cool climate origin, and on par with other top-notch Bordeaux blends around the globe.
Chardonnay is the top white grape in Hawkes Bay, making elegant wines, strong in stone fruit character. Sauvignon blanc comes in close behind, notable for its tropical, fruit forward qualities.