2017 Whitehaven Greg Sauvignon Blanc
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TASTING NOTE
Colour / Appearance: Pale lemon-green, with a bright clarity
Aroma / Bouquet: Lifted green-gage plums, nettles, currants, red capsicum, and freshly crushed herbal notes. There are also the distinct wet-rock, mineral notes, characteristic of the Awatere sub-region.
Palate: A medium bodied wine, with a bright acidity, that frames the lifted, fresh fruit flavours. The wine has a lengthy, clean acid finish.
Cellaring: Our ‘Greg’ Sauvignon is made to be appreciated either newly bottled or with careful cellaring for 2-3 years.
Food Match: Summer salads, poultry and shellfish - particularly suited to oysters or green shell mussels - as well as lobster and white fish. Our ‘Greg’ Sauvignon Blanc is also the perfect aperitif.
Serve: Lightly chilled.
ACCOLADES:
- New Zealand International Wine Show 2017, Gold, Trophy.
- Sakura Japan Women’s’ Wine Awards 2018, Double Gold.
WINE ANALYSIS
Alcohol: 13.0
Residual Sugar: 4.3
Titratable Acidity: 7.1
pH: 3.31
VITICULTURE
Harvest Date: 16th April 2017
Grape Growing: Andy and Michelle Peter, Alton Downs Vineyard, Awatere Valley.
Climate: The budburst timing was slightly later than normal and the vines experienced typical spring like conditions of variable temperatures, winds and rain. Early varieties, such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, flowered in cooler conditions leading to smaller yields. Other varieties had warm, dry conditions over flowering, resulting in healthy crop levels. In mid-December, the weather became warm and dry. January was notable for strong winds that parched the landscape. The later part of the season recorded lower sunshine hours, resulting in delayed sugar ripeness and a later start to harvest.
VINIFICATION:
Winemaking: The fruit was machine-harvested in cool evening conditions, destemmed and lightly pressed with minimal skin contact in the winery. The majority of the juice was settled with enzyme to achieve a high degree of clarity. Fermentation at very low temperature and with selected yeast strains were used to preserve the inherent fruit flavours.
Winemakers: Sam Smail and Diana Katardzhieva
