Winemaker Notes
This wine is a celebration of Marlborough and is perfectly suited to fresh seafood and light poultry dishes.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Haysley MacDonald, descendent of the original Mãori tribe that arrived in Wairau in 1350, converted the family farm to vineyards in 2003, releasing Te Pa’s first wine in 2011. For Oke (‘a Sauvignon Blanc for Chardonnay lovers’), grapes come from the home vineyard in Lower Wairau (60%) and the Redwood Hills Vineyard in Awatere, fermented and aged on lees in barrel for 11 months. Roger Jones: Perfumed nose then into a luxurious style of Sauvignon. Clean, focused stone fruit – nectarines with a delicate bouquet of herbs and green vegetables. White nutty notes. Freddy Bulmer: Inviting pure fruit character, well-used oak. The acidity holds everything together and provides focus. I’d like a little more on the finish, but this is very smart. Cat Lomax: Waxy, pithy, savoury nose, toast and hazelnut hints. Fleshy citrus supported by some spice and more hazelnut; a creamy, rounded texture. Fresh acidity.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Oke Sauvignon Blanc leads with nutmeg oak and layers of tobacco, char and sandalwood. In the mouth, the fruit is obscured at this stage, but the oak (as profuse as it is) is classy and spiced. The acidity courses through the texture and enlivens the palate. This was made like a Chardonnay: it was whole-bunch pressed directly to oak for fermentation, then aged on lees for 11 months. Complex and good. Though not overly Sauvignon Blanc-like, it is good nonetheless. Rich.
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James Suckling
Aromas of white tea, chamomile and lemon peel. Medium-bodied. Fresh, mineral-laced citrus and apple fruit wash over the palate. Almost comes across like a chardonnay. There is richness in the mid-palate. Seamless and silky. Sustainable. Vegan. Drink or hold.
Nestled in the heart of Marlborough in the South Island of New Zealand, TE PA FAMILY VINEYARDS is not just a testament to the region's rich viticultural potential—it is a living tribute to a legacy that dates back 800 years. Owned by Haysley MacDonald, te Pa is more than a winery; it's a continuation of a familial saga that began with the earliest Maori settlers in the Wairau Bar. Haysley's ancestry imbues te Pa with a profound sense of place and history that is reflected in each selection of the winery's portfolio.
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.