2021 Greywacke Wild Sauvignon Blanc
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The 2021 Wild Sauvignon was tasted as part of a vertical spanning 2021 to 2011. This is a testament to the Greywacke style of Sauvignon Blanc, the handling of the fruit both in the vineyard and winery. It does age, and in fact, I prefer this wine with some extra time in bottle. The 2021 is textural and wide, led by saffron, lemongrass, yellow peach and white pepper. The wine is mineral and elongated through the middle palate and finish, and I appreciate the balance between oak and fruit. This had a 100% wild ferment from the beginning. Two-thirds of the blend usually goes through malolactic fermentation in oak (light toast Mercurey, 7% new) for 11 months. Although there is a desired pattern of vinification, there is no hard and fast recipe for this wine. "We go with the flow, depending on what the microbiology gives us," says Winemaker Kevin Judd. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
Critic scores
Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The 2021 Sauvignon Wild screams class. It was a small vintage; poor flowering lead to small crops, and a subsequent dry summer guaranteed intense concentration. It is firm and intense, almost punching you between the eyes with its drive created through a combination of acid and phenolics, which provide structure and ensure this is one that will age gracefully. Aromatically, however, it's restrained and layered, offering everything from blackcurrant and nectarine to fennel. In summary, it's a wine that has all the right bits in all the right places and follows it up with length and persistence.
Full screwcapped bottle 1,301 g. Fruit was sourced from various vineyard sites in the Southern Valleys and the central Wairau Plains, specifically in Woodbourne, Renwick and Rapaura. Soil types vary from the young alluvial deposits of Rapaura and Renwick, which contain high proportions of greywacke river stones, to the older and denser clay-loams of the Southern Valleys. Some vineyards were harvested by machine during cool (often cold) night-time conditions and others by hand during the day. The grapes were lightly pressed then cold-settled prior to racking into French oak barriques, a small percentage of which were new. The juice was allowed to undergo spontaneous fermentation, the tail end of which continued for well over six months. The wine had occasional lees stirring and approximately two-thirds underwent malolactic conversion. It was transferred out of oak prior to the following harvest and left on yeast lees for a further six months. The wine was bottled in September 2022 with a pH of 3.19 and total acidity 6.1 g/l. Intriguing and inviting aroma that has so much more than you might expect from Marlborough Sauvignon. There's no shortage of ripe green fruits – greengage, preserved green fig – and citrus but there's also layers that are both creamy and a touch smoky. On the palate this is outstanding in its combination of power/weight and freshness. One of those wines that I would prefer to describe as a serious, complex white wine than referring to the variety. A fabulous wine that goes on and on. One of the best Greywacke Wild Sauvignons I have tasted, and it should age very well. (JH)
Lime blossoms, white peach and green kiwi followed by jasmine and fresh herbs with intense flinty minerality. Medium-bodied with vibrant crisp acidity. Impressive minerality and freshness. Drink or hold. Screw cap.