2022 Kōparepare Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
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TASTING NOTE
For every bottle of Kōparepare sold, we donate to LegaSea, a non-profit organisation dedicated to restoring the abundance, biodiversity and health of New Zealand’s marine environment.
Colour / Appearance: Light straw, with a green hue.
Aroma / Bouquet: A lifted nose of stonefruit and apple, underlined with grapefruit, nettle and gentle crushed herbs.
Palate: A zesty, medium-bodied wine with lovely fruit purity and juiciness. The citrus and nettle flavours are carried to long refreshing finish.
Food Match: Pair with sustainably sourced seafood.
Cellaring: We recommend drinking our 2022 Sauvignon Blanc while it is young and fresh, but the wine is capable of developing nicely over the next three to five years if carefully cellared.
Serve: Lightly chilled.
WINE ANALYSIS
Alcohol: 13%
Residual Sugar: <1 g/L
Acidity: 8.17 g/L
pH: 3.27
VITICULTURE
Climate: The 2022 growing season started with soil moisture at capacity, following an unusually wet winter which had seen flooding in parts of the region. Pleasingly, the region did not suffer any major frost events and despite conditions in November being a little wet, the warmth that went with it meant that flowering was not drawn out and resulted in good fruit set and the prospect of healthy yields. The remainder of the season was punctuated by cooler weather and rainfall events, and we were vigilant around disease pressure as we entered the harvest period. Harvest was later this year and Brix accumulation was slow. We experienced another rain event in the final third of March which then required us to harvest as quickly as possible in many blocks to retain pure fruit expression. This is where Whitehaven’s new receival building came to the fore, allowing greater throughput while maintain the quality focus and attention to detail that Whitehaven prides itself on.
Grape Growing: The fruit for this wine was sourced predominantly (90%) from our estate vineyard on Pauls Road (Rapaura area) and small portion from Lower Wairau area.The vines were pruned to between two and four canes on a vertical shoot positioned trellis. Shoot thinning, leaf plucking, and trimming are used to achieve balanced vines, a healthy canopy and clean fruit.
WINEMAKING
Harvest Dates: 18th & 20th of March, 2022
Winemaking: The fruit was machine harvested, often overnight, and pressed immediately with minimal skin contact. After cold settling, the clear juice was fermented in stainless steel tanks at 16°C – 12°C with selected yeast strains to preserve pure sub regional characters and varietal flavours. Wines sat on light yeast lees in tank for up to 6 weeks prior to blending in. The wine has been heat and cold stabilised, and sterile filtered, prior to bottling.
ACCOLADES
- "Bright and intensely aromatic, the wine shows passionfruit, kaffir lime, fig and green apple notes on the nose, leading to a fabulously flavoursome palate that's succulent and lingering. Splendidly expressive and highly enjoyable. At its best: now to 2025." 93/100 (5 Stars), Sam Kim, Wine Orbit
- “Light, supple sauvignon blanc with lime, grapefruit, gooseberry and subtle passionfruit flavours. Simple, easy-drinking wine with typical regional and varietal characters. Dry and refreshing” 90/100 (4 stars), The Real Review TOP VALUE
- The nose is fresh and voluminous, with aromas of lime and passionfruit melded with tomato vine, lime zest and sweet floral. Medium-bodied, aromas of lime and passionfruit have a taut core, lime zest and texture reflect on the palate, alongside tomato vine and a hint of blossom. The vibrant acidity carries a crisp, thirst-quenching finish. This Sauvignon Blanc is burst with fresh, classic Marlborough aromas of lime and passionfruit with a bright acid lime." 88/100 Points (4 Stars), Candice Chow (Raymond Chan Wine Reviews).
