Winemaker Notes
A kaleidoscope of aromas, including lychee, mango and white floral, with herbal notes of tarragon and thyme. The succulent palate is equally intricate with gooseberry compote and tangelo meringue, melding with notes of linseed, lanolin and sandalwood. Bright acidity and a hint of saltiness provide perfect balance to the generous and textured finish.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Wild Sauvignon is ever an elegant affair, and this year feels quite restrained in its outlay of fruit, oak and spice. I love this wine; it ages beautifully, and it shows the serious, more complex side of Sauvignon Blanc. This is highly recommended. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
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Wine Enthusiast
Winemaker Richelle Tyney and team have struck the perfect balance with this vintage of “Wild” which, hence the name, is wild fermented in old oak barrels. The matchstick and toasted almond aromas are there but instead of dominating, they’re tangled up with beach shell, seaweed and preserved lemon. The umami, seaside vibes continue on the palate, where a lovely texture and acidity are seamlessly threaded together.
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James Suckling
Lots of character to this, with apples, pears, popcorn kernels and blanched nuts. It’s medium-bodied with delicious fruit and a flavorful finish. A serious sauvignon blanc for chardonnay lover. Flinty and reductive at the end.
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Wine Spectator
A stunning white, aromatic and supple, with wild fennel, quince, pear and green papaya flavors on a creamy frame. Aromatic details of mango and honeysuckle, with a whiff of flint, emerge on the finish
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Vinous
The 2022 Wild Sauvignon is always sensitively constructed, standing out as one of the most successful whites of this tricky vintage. Wild fermented in barrel and left on lees for 11 months, this is layered, detailed and textured. It may not have the intensity nor persistence of the superlative 2021 vintage, but it does have a delightful mid-palate feel and fine linearity. The 2022 is nuanced and aromatic, with flavors of blackcurrant, nectarine and white flowers combining with flinty reductive notes and nutty characters.
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 icon and leading region of New Zealand's distinctive style of Sauvignon blanc, Marlborough has a unique terroir, making it ideal for high quality grape production (of many varieties). Despite some common generalizations, which could be fairly justified given that Marlborough is responsible for 90% of New Zealand's Sauvignon blanc production, the wines from this region are actually anything but homogenous. At the northern tip of New Zealand’s South Island, the vineyards of Marlborough benefit from well-draining, stony soils, a dry, sunny climate and wide temperature fluctuations between day and night, a phenomenon that supports a perfect balance between berry ripeness and acidity.
The region’s king variety, Sauvignon blanc, is beloved for its pungent, aromatic character with notes of exotic tropical fruit, freshly cut grass and green bell pepper along with a refreshing streak of stony minerality. These wines are made in a wide range of styles, and winemakers take advantage of various clones, vineyard sites, fermentation styles, lees-stirring and aging regimens to differentiate their bottlings, one from one another.
Also produced successfully here are fruit-forward Pinot noirs (especially where soils are clay-rich), elegant Riesling, Pinot gris and Gewürztraminer.