POTAGER SAUVIGNON BLANC 2026

Gold Medal – The National Wine Awards of Aotearoa New Zealand 2026

A new perspective on North Canterbury from Dom Maxwell. Two-time New Zealand Winemaker of the Year, multiple Decanter and IWC trophy winner and the winemaker behind Forager, Dom has spent much of his career exploring what North Canterbury can deliver when vineyard, season and winemaking are allowed to speak with clarity. Potager is the next part of that story.

Where Forager works at the scale of individual vineyards – limited-production Chardonnay and Pinot Noir built around specific sites and Dom’s distinctive vineyard-fermentation approach – Potager takes a broader view of North Canterbury.

The wines are drawn from carefully selected, low-cropping vineyard parcels across the region, planted with vines between 25 and 40 years old. They are made with the same attention to provenance and season, but with a different purpose: regional wines built around freshness, perfume, texture and drinkability.

Winery notes (2026 Vintage)
"The 25-year-old vines comprise Clone 1 and Clone MS, grafted onto a mix of 3309 and 101-14 rootstocks. Soils are predominantly sandy loam over sandstone and clay, with a smaller component of loess over gravels. Fermentation is entirely inoculated in stainless steel at 15–17°C, followed by four months on full yeast lees before blending.

The warm, dry start to the 2026 growing season supported even flowering, followed by an early harvest of clean, pristine fruit. The nose is layered and finely detailed, with blackcurrant leaf, gooseberry and fresh herbs framing restrained notes of mango and crisp apple. Four months on full yeast lees brings texture and definition to the palate, while bright acidity carries the wine through to a precise, saline finish with great persistence."

Rated Excellent & 93/100 Cameron Douglas MS, September 2026 (2026 Vintage)
"A delicious wine with the signature of Canterbury from nose to finish with scents and flavours of flowers and mineral then lime and apple, green pear and cape gooseberry. A dry wine with flavours of sand and stone, wild flowers and lees then ripe core fruit flavours of pomaceous and citrus fruits, peel and pith. Harmonious and fresh, varietal and urgent. best drinking from day of purchase through 2029."

5 Stars & 93/100 Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, September 2026 (2026 Vintage)
"Pristine and splendidly expressed on the nose, showing green apple, nectarine, fig, and lime peel aromas, followed by a lively palate filled with juicy fruit intensity. It's vibrant and flavoursome with a long, tasty finish. At its best: now to 2029."