Marlborough's natural endowments are breathtaking to behold, the vastness and bounty of this beautiful land stirs the imagination and yields no finer example of Sauvignon Blanc than Braided River. The principal vineyard for Braided River sits on the confluence of the mighty Wairau and Waihopai Rivers in Marlborough. Riper characters here are achieved at lower sugar levels, offering great intensity and style at moderate alcohol levels.
Braided River's winemaking team are passionate about allowing Sauvignon Blanc's unique character to flourish in the vineyard, they work gently with minimal handling throughout vinification to ensure every glass is filled with the vivid signature. Gently crushed and pressed to minimise skin contact, the juices are settled at cool temperatures. Components are individually fermented, long and cool, with select strains of yeast to showcase their unique personalities. Once assembled, after a month resting on fine lees, each batch plays a role in the style of the finished wine as it was bottled fresh and early.
Light straw in colour. Lifted aromas of crushed lime and grapefruit dart from the glass and over the palate to excite the senses. Every sip of this superb Sauvignon Blanc expresses pure Marlborough magic, the palate is instantly rich and mouth filling before the juicy acidity refreshes the mouth and provides the vehicle for a long, fine, flavour packed finish. Enjoy with shellfish or goat's cheese souffle.
Montana was launched to international renown in 1990 when it won the Marquis De Goulaine Trophy for best Sauvignon Blanc anywhere in the world. Now considered the benchmark in New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, Brancott by Montana is an assemblage of fruit grown to choice Marlborough sites. Three main terroirs predominate, on the northern side of Wairau Valley are young soils based on river silts and stone. At the southern end are older clay deposits, a divergence of terrains which yield Sauvignon Blanc harvests of unique and individual charm.
Marlborough is one of the most exciting places to grow Sauvignon Blanc. Soils in the Awatere Valley further to the south are of an intermediate age based originally on river silts but uplifted with time allowing soil development without further river deposits. A mix of five main rootstocks, SO4, 3309, 101/14, RG and Schwarzman. Most of the grapes are crushed and left in contact with skins for a few hours to increase the extraction process, achieving strength and fullness of flavour. The remainder is gently bag pressed to achieve fresh, clear juices which are fermented slowly at cool temperatures to retain the very distinctive regional and varietal characters. Bottled completely unwooded and unoaked.
Pale straw colur with green hues. Aromas of ripe, red capsicum and gooseberry dominate with tropical pineapple and grapefruit notes apparent. Displays full intensity of fruit, the ripe capsicum and gooseberry flavours with hints of pungency sit well alongside the supporting tropical fruit flavours. A well balanced wine showing the lively, crisp acidity associated with this style.
The goal here is to construct a wine of intensity, complexity and great interest on the palate. Ultimately a wine that will evolve in the glass, revealing a variety of flavours, structures and classic Marlborough textures. The focus is on elegance rather than having any one element dominating the subtler characters and undertones. The fastidiously maintained vines produce clean, ripe fruit which translate into a deeply satisfying Sauvignon Blanc. Catalina Sounds is built to contemporary tastes, immensely flavoursome and ready to enjoy upon release.
Each individual vineyard parcel is harvested at optimal ripeness. Some blocks are picked early to retain higher acid and fresh citrus characters, others are left to ripen fully. Fruit is gently pressed, cold settled and racked for inoculation. A variety of yeasts are added, some are selected to accentuate the aromatics of fruit, others add mouthfeel and texture. Some components remain on yeast lees and are stirred post fermentation, which adds a further textural element to the wine. A portion is fermented in French oak puncheons, while being treated to heavy lees stirring, developing complexity and a subtle undertone of savouriness.
Pale lemon colour. Subtle floral notes mingle elegantly with citrus zest, creamy lemon curd and fresh asian herbs. A textural long palate, bright tropical and citrus notes with a fine minerality and long balanced acidity which carries the flavours right to the end of the palate. A soft mouthfeel, good length and a clean finish. Creamy and harmonious, an awesome Marlborough wine.
Central Otago's seminal winemaking estate, Chard Farm's magnificent storage cellar employs the old world technique of sitting barrels on bare earth pits that have been filled with gravel. This lets the cellar breath but more importantly keeps the humidity high, thereby preventing a lot of wine evaporation, known to those who are well abreast of things wine as the angels share. This is particularly important in the naturally low humidity climes of Central Otago.
Chard Farm was established in 1987 by Motueka brothers Rob and Greg Hay. They were the first to come into the area with the intention of setting up a commercial vineyard, settling on Chard Farm after an exhaustive search for a site which best emulated the cool continental climate and soils of some of the greatest wine producing areas of the world, most notably Burgundy and Alsace. The investigation lead to Central Otago, the long term goal being to craft the finest classic cool climate wines in a structured and generously proportioned old world style.
Yellow, bright greenish hues. Fresh Sauvignon style fruit, gooseberry and tropiclal harvest notes. A palate that's lively and fresh, exhibiting perfect balance between juicy fruit and vitalizing acidity, summer in a bottle! Treat your Chard Farm to nothing less than whole snapper with lemon and corriander dressing on a bed of steamed seasonal veg.
A single vineyard effort by one of Marlborough's most devout winemakers, Clayfork offers a splendid array of ripe tropical fruit characters with a remarkable capacity to rejuvenate and refresh. This generous Sauvignon Blanc, fruit driven and vital, mates beautifully with all good cuisine and is the coup de grâce alongside shellfish mornay.
At Catalina Sounds, quality of fruit is the focus, sourcing the best possible is fundamental to the ultimate wine. The winemaking techniques are very non-interventionalist, encouraging the fruit to express itself. A single vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, grapes are sourced from the Clayfork Vineyard, nestled high on the Waihopai Ridge in Marlborough. The clay soils impart richness, strength and dense tropical fruit flavours. The resulting wine is a more tropical expression of Marlborough, unlike anything else that's typical of the style. With partial wild ferment and barrel ferment influence, the palate is rich and long, but retains a freshness and long clean finish, unlike many of the alternative regional or old world Sauvignon Blanc.
Light straw colour. Intensity and vibrant fruit on the bouquet, driven by wafts of orange and of lychee, gooseberry and lime, all supported by the underlying presence of nougat, pineapple and quince. Citrus and herb characters emanate from the nose and carry through onto the palate, combining with expressions of passionfruit and straw, almonds and macadamia. Clayfork is finely pitched with chilling acids that bring the wine to a pleasantly drying finish.
Unlabelled Sauvignon Blanc by one of Marlborough's most reputable estates. In a unique and distinctively recognizable growing region such as Marlborough, the most critical work to produce beautiful wine must be done in the vineyard. There is no substitute for well balanced fruit and the maker here has clearly spent time amongst the vines applying the most exacting standards of viticulture right up until harvest. Portions were treated to a luxurious fermentation in oak barriques and puncheons, which contributes a supple undertone of smoky savouriness.
Pale straw colour. Rich tropical fruit aromas with a hint of white peach and pink grapefruit. Luscious palate with summer flavours of tropical fruits, white peach and grapefruit filling the palate with a lovely intensity. Exhibits layers of flavour ranging from the distinctive grass characters of Marlborough, right through to citrus, lemons and lime to tropical and grass at the other end of the spectrum. A wine of good acid balance, and great length, the palate is textural and complex, with a pleasant, finely textured mouthfeel, finishing long, revitalising and clean. A vivacious Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc to accompany summer seafood salad, the freshest grilled fishes, newly shucked oysters and scallops.