Mahi Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2018
Sauvignon Blanc
-
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker
3.7 Very Good
(13)
Product Details
Varietal
Producer
Vintage
2018
Size
750ML
ABV
13%
Features
Screw Cap
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The Mahi Sauvignon Blanc comes from seven different estate vineyards. The hand-picked fruit was whole-cluster pressed so that the time on skins was minimized. A portion of this juice, 7% this year, was barrel-fermented in older French oak to give greater weight, though ensuring that wood is not evident on the nose. The balance of the wine was fermented cool in stainless steel to retain the fruit characters from our vineyards.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
A flinty and gently funky nose with grapefruit and fresh lemons, this has a deeply juicy and fresh palate that offers a plush and long, succulent finish.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Sauvignon Blanc comes from seven sites around Marlborough. It includes barrel-fermented and indigenous-yeast components, as well as 2% Sémillon, and spends six months on its lees prior to bottling. Ripe nectarine and pink grapefruit notes lead the way in this medium to full-bodied wine. It's plump, mouthfilling and silky in texture, with decent length.
Other Vintages
2021- Vinous
-
James
Suckling
-
James
Suckling -
Wine
Spectator
-
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker
Brian had been making wine in different parts of the world for about 15 years before deciding to return to New Zealand and settle in Marlborough. Arriving in 1996 he could see that vineyards in the different valleys of Marlborough produced remarkably unique profiles. At the time, most of Marlborough’s wines were made as regional blends with many individual site characteristics being lost. In other areas of the world distinctive sites were being celebrated and so an idea was hatched to create a label that promoted different vineyard sites across Marlborough to show the region had true depth and complexity.
This idea of a new label had been formed for some time but it was when Brian’s father developed terminal cancer the realization of his own mortality proved to be the impetus that was needed to finally start making the wines of Mahi.
The very first harvest was from a vineyard located in the Conder’s Bend part of Marlborough. An area Brian was familiar with. Initial quantities were tiny from this small 1.5 hectare parcel of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir from the Byrne vineyard. Mahi now manages the vineyard organically and are thrilled to still be working with the site that started it all. Brian’s winemaking style for Mahi is to allow the vineyards to speak through the wines, with the wines being made in a very ‘hands-off’ manner.
SKRNVMAH0118_2018 Item# 577904