A stunning cool climate expression of New Zealand’s most famous grape, our Sauvignon Blanc is named “The Starlet” because of her international popular appeal. She’s also fresh and fruity and best enjoyed young.
2024 Vintage
“Exotic aromas of ripe citrus, passionfruit, fennel, rosemary and orange zest, this wine has an elegant palate with a citrus freshness balanced by sweet honeysuckle and tropical fruits”. Olly Masters(Winemaker)
Vintage Notes
After early spring heat, we experienced our first ever significant frost event in late October. Our slopes provided their normal protection, but the frost’s duration caused damage to the more gentle sloping terraces. As it was an early season frost, the vineyard recovered remarkably well. The next major impact was a hailstorm on the 2nd February resulting in fruit loss on a few blocks but had more impact in term of leaf damage which then stalled some of the growth. A generally cooler season than usual with El Niño weather patterns delivering more westerly winds but low rainfall. Harvest started at the end of March as
usual. In spite of a challenging season, the overall quality of the fruit has been very good – but a smaller crop. The Sauvignon Blanc was hand-picked at 7.1 T/ha and Growing Degree Days (GDDs) were 1040
Food Match
Sauvignon Blanc is a refreshing dry white wine with our textural style displaying more intense tropical fruit flavours. It’s a wine that can be savoured on its own or enjoyed with food where it’s particularly suited to fresh and grilled seafood, ideal with most appetisers and a perfect match to salads, vegetable dishes or white meats. The best cheese pairings include goat, feta or sharp cheddars.
Details
| Region | Central Otago, New Zealand | Vineyard | Estate-grown, single vineyard |
| Sub-region | Bendigo – Single vineyard | Variety/ Clones | MS |
| Planting | 2005, Altitude: 240 – 280m | Harvested | 3rd & 10th April 2024 |
| Harvest Analysis | Brix: 24.7-25.7 / pH: 2.95-3.08 / TA: 10.4-11.3 g/l | Bottled | 13 Sept 2024 (Stelvin closure) |
| Wine Analysis | Alc:14% / pH: 3.04 / TA: 8.2 g/l | Cellaring | 5+ years |
Winemaking
Approximately half the fruit was gently crushed while retaining stalks, then pressed with the remainder being whole-bunch pressed. The crushed version brings vibrancy whereas the whole bunch lends texture. The majority (67%) of the free run and some pressings juice were then racked, inoculated and cool fermented to dryness in stainless steel to retain varietal purity. The remaining portion was wild fermented in mostly older French oak barrels. A small proportion of juice (4%) was taken to new oak barrels from the tank ferment then returned when dry to give another level of complexity. All these techniques add more texture and
complex mineral/flint characters to the wine.
