Winemaker Notes
This very pale yellow wine bursts with aromas of passionfruit, ruby red grapefruit, and juicy white peach, complemented by hints of fresh lemongrass, while the palate captures the essence of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc with ripe, exuberant citrus and passionfruit flavors, a touch of wet stones, and a dry, complex, and powerful structure leading to a concentrated, mouthwatering finish, making it an excellent match for casual fresh sourdough with olive oil and dukkah or a main course of crispy-skinned snapper with warm puy lentils and herby lemon sauce.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Vibrant and fresh aromas of passion fruit, cut grass and pineapple. The light-bodied palate has a creamy mouthfeel and focused acidity, giving notes of peaches, nectarines and lychees. Tropical fruit-driven with a generous texture.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2024 Sauvignon Blanc hails from the Awatere Valley, Lower Wairau and the Southern Valleys and leads with passionfruit, coriander, gooseberry and sweet pea. In the mouth, the wine reveals its region with startling clarity—it has all the calling cards of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc: crunchy, sleek/polished, concentrated and flavorsome.
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Wine Spectator
Robust lemon sorbet, pomelo and fresh apple notes mingle with a ripe pear accent in this white. Details of white pepper, lemon blossoms and ginger add an air of elegance, with a fine thread of acidity.
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.