2019 Whitehaven Greg Sauvignon Blanc
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TASTING NOTE
Colour / Appearance: Light straw, with a green hue.
Aroma / Bouquet: Classic gooseberry, currant and grapefruit, with complexing wet rock and nettle notes, typical of the Awatere Valley sub-region.
Palate: This is a medium-bodied wine with bright, fresh acidity balancing the vibrant gooseberry and pure mineral flavours. These persist on the lengthy, crisp 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.
WINE ANALYSIS
Alcohol: 13.5
Residual Sugar: 4.3
Titratable Acidity: 7.2
pH: 3.12
VITICULTURE
Harvest Date: 28th March, 2019
Varieties: 100% Sauvignon Blanc, MS clone.
Grape Growers: Andy and Michelle Peter, Alton Downs Vineyard, Awatere Valley.
Climate: The timing of budburst was similar to previous years. The early part of the season was notable for lower sunshine hours, especially in November. With flowering in early December, the weather was very changeable, leading to some variable crop loads depending on the site. January and February were very hot and dry, withering the surrounding hills and putting pressure on irrigation systems. This also brought forward the harvest by 10-14 days. Warm, dry conditions over harvest meant the grapes could be picked with optimum flavour and without pressure from disease or rain.
WINEMAKING
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 low temperature and with selected yeast strains were used to preserve the vineyard’s inherent fruit flavours.
Winemakers: Sam Smail and Diana Katardzhieva
The ‘Greg’ range is dedicated to the memory of our founder Greg White, 1952-2007.
ACCOLADES
- 2020 Natalie MacLean, Canada: 90 Points
- 2020 Joe Czerwinski for Robert Parker, US: 90 Points
- 2020 Concours Mondial Du Sauvignon: Revelation Trophy, best Sauvignon wine from New Zealand
- 2020 Royal Easter Show Wine Awards: Mainfreight Champion Export Wine Trophy
- 2020 Sakura Japan Women’s Wine Awards: Gold
- 2019 Bob Campbell, NZ, Gold Ribbon 95/100
- 2019 Michael Cooper, NZ, 5 stars
- Gourmet Traveller Wine, 2019 Top 100 New Release Wines, 5 stars
