ASTROLABE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2021

Selected for the Fine Wines of New Zealand List

Consistently our top selling Sauvignon Blanc, Astrolabe has set the benchmark for many years and is proof that not all Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs are created equal. It is the attention to detail, viticulture, and winemaking that sets Astrolabe apart. This 2021 release is as good as it's ever been.

Simon Waghorn, Winemaker notes (2021 Vintage)
"Powerful gooseberry, white currant, red capsicum, passionfruit and lime peel aromas. Medium-bodied, with strong flavours of makrut lime, passionfruit, lemongrass and a refreshingly smooth, dry and persistent finish. 

Sauvignon blanc is widely considered by the wine drinkers of the world to reach its pinnacle of potential in Marlborough. The Astrolabe Province Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is made from grapes grown across three Marlborough sub-regions: the Wairau Valley, the Awatere Valley and the Kēkerengū Coast. The blend of sites, soils and aspects within this wine gives it great complexity, reflecting both the capability of the region as a whole and my own palate.

I blend to suit what I think is Astrolabe’s style, which reflects what I’ve learnt as a winemaker and drinker over the years. My style is dry, expressive and elegantly balanced. For me it is about getting a lovely sense of fully developed green spectrum flavours from all these different sites and putting them in a glass in a way that is well-styled and elegant. My Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc always presents with ripe green flavours like passionfruit, blackcurrant leaf and gooseberry. In the palate, it is full and round and finishes dry and lingering.
 
This is a drier style of sauvignon blanc, acidity kept nicely in balance with the alcohol and the very little residual sugar that is there, so it’s all about how all these things come together to make a pleasurable whole. I craft my wines so that nothing stands out as one singular spike, instead revealing a lovely layering of flavours and aromas that people can keep finding as they spend time savouring the glass."

5 Stars Michael Cooper (2021 Vintage)
"The classy 2021 vintage was grown in the Awatere Valley (49 per cent), Kekerengu (21 per cent), the Southern Valleys (21 per cent) and the Wairau Valley (9 per cent). Very fresh and weighty, it has lifted, herbaceous aromas and vibrant, penetrating flavours of melons, limes and green capsicums, appetisingly crisp, fully dry and sustained."

Rated Excellent & 93/100 Cameron Douglas MS (2021 Vintage)
Intense, fragrant, fruity and varietal with a core of fresh citrus and tropical fruits, a fine savoury and fresh herb foundation, steely, youthful and vibrant bouquet. On the palate – flavours of white fleshed fruits then sweet citrus, a chalky-like stone and steel minerality then fresh herbs. A white flower and light smoky lees quality adds complexity and depth. Lengthy refreshing finish. Best drinking from purchase and through end of summer 2022.