2018 Whitehaven Greg Sauvignon Blanc
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TASTING NOTE
Colour / Appearance: Pale lemon-green, with a bright clarity
Aroma / Bouquet: A lifted and bright array of fresh gooseberry, elderflower, nettles, tomato leaf and jalapeno. There are also the distinct mineral notes, characteristic of the Awatere sub-region.
Palate: A medium-bodied wine with bright and fresh acidity to highlight the lifted, pure fruit aromatics, that persist on the long, clean 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:
- Gold, International Wine Challenge, China, 2019
- 5 stars, 95/100pts, 2018 Bob Campbell, MW. (Top Rank #2 of 16 wines)
- 91/100 pts Wine Advocate (Joe Czerwinski)
WINE ANALYSIS
Alcohol: 13.5
Residual Sugar: 4.8
Titratable Acidity: 8.1
pH: 3.36
VITICULTURE
Harvest Date: 22nd and 29th March, 2018
Grape Growing: Andy and Michelle Peter, Alton Downs Vineyard, Awatere Valley.
Climate: Budburst was slightly earlier than normal and the weather slightly warmer than average. The early part of the season was notable for no frost events. In November, the weather became dry and the timing of the season returned to the long term average with some cooler days. Hot, dry weather in early December, resulted in a very good fruit set, and a rapid advancement in vine growth. The remainder of December and January were very hot. February was wetter with two ex-tropical cyclones adding some disease pressure which was averted with careful management. In March and April, the region was exposed to perfect late season ripening conditions of warm, sunny days and cool nights, resulting in intense fruit flavours.
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
