Omaka Springs Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2005
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A bright, zesty, and delicious New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, bursting with fresh passionfruit and gooseberry flavors! You'll love this fun and unusual white wine - try it with fresh goat cheese or seared sea scallops.
Color: Pale Straw with green hints. Nose: Herbaceous with passionfruit and tropical fruit. Palate: Good weight and length with fresh clean acids. Cellaring: Drink now or within two to three years.
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2004-
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Omaka Springs Estates produces cool climate varietal grapes from the 92 acres of vineyards located on the Estates’ 146 acres of land in the Omaka Valley. These grapes are used to make medal-winning wines in the Omaka Springs Estates Limited winery where the aim -- and indeed policy -- is to make only "high quality wines at affordable prices."
Geoff and Robina were amongst the pioneers of the New Zealand olive industry and included on the land is one of New Zealand’s largest commercial olive groves consisting of approximately 3,000 trees including 23 different varieties. These trees produce high quality olives which are processed on the Estate, the result being fine extra virgin olive oil.
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.