New Zealand's most internationally acclaimed wine is sought after from Sydney to New York and London. Its irresistibly aromatic and zesty style and intense flavours stem from 'the fruit characters that are in the grapes when they arrive at the winery'. It is sourced from company-owned and several long-term contract growers' vineyards in the Rapaura, Fairhall, Renwick and Brancott districts of the Wairau Valley, Marlborough. The wine is mostly cool-fermented with cultured and indigenous yeasts in stainless steel tanks and aged on its yeast lees, and a small percentage of the blend (4 per cent in 2020) is fermented at warmer temperatures in old French barriques and large-format oak vats. Bright, light lemon/green, the 2020 vintage (5*) is a very classy, weighty wine, ripely scented, with deep, vigorous, tropical-fruit flavours, gentle herbaceous notes, a distinct touch of complexity, and a finely textured, dry (2.4 grams/litre of residual sugar), long finish. A top vintage of this regional classic, still unfolding, it should be at its best during 2022.
Details
Type: White Wines
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2020
Overall Rating for All Vintages Tasted: ★★★★★ – 5 Stars
Price: $37 NZD
Sweetness: DRY
Value for Money: AV
Buyer’s Guide 2022
This wine is a Super Classic.
When to drink: 2022