“The Starlet” – Sauvignon Blanc 2025

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
“Classic aromas of citrus and passionfruit are contrasted with tropical fruits, then the palate opens up with honeysuckle and citrus minerality and lingering notes of star anise.” Olly Masters (Winemaker)

Vintage Notes

A cool wet start to the season provided good moisture for early season growth. On the 3rd November, we experienced our 2nd frost in over 20 years! It impacted just certain blocks and occurred prior to shoot thinning so we could mitigate losses. The rain eased and flowering and fruit set went well but we did have relentless spring winds lasting into January. The rest of the season was ideal without any super-hot days, so we retained good acidity and freshness in the whites and avoided shrivel in the Pinot Noirs. Vineyard vigilance ensured no incidence of disease and with leaf-plucking we ensured good ripening in this
overall cooler season. The frost damage meant a slightly wider range of ripeness in white varieties, but they show good varietal expression. Fruit quality overall was excellent but a slightly reduced crop. The grapes were hand-picked at an average of 6.5 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

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 (73%) 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