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Buy OnlineWinery notes (2022 Vintage)
"Not one bound by convention, The Marlborist Grande Sauvignon is a bold departure from the classic Marlborough style. Fermented entirely with naturally occurring yeast in a mixture of old French oak barrels and puncheons, it is an alternative style of sauvignon blanc with an alluring array of golden-flesh peaches, candied pineapple and melon with hints of elderflower and brioche. This is a moreish wine with a rich, creamy palate underpinned by a long, citrus finish. In order to retain maximum flavour and mouthfeel we have chosen to bottle this wine without fining or filtration. This minimal intervention wine may throw a sediment which is perfectly natural and completely harmless.
Fruit was sourced from a selection of exceptional sites around Marlborough, specifically Renwick, Rapaura, the Awatere and Southern Valleys. Largely grown on river terraces where young, alluvial soils overlay deep deposits of greywacke stone, the combination of free-draining soils and naturally low yields allowed the vines to ripen small, golden bunches of intensely flavoured fruit.
A combination of machine and hand-picked fruit was harvested over a week-long period beginning late March. The grapes were transported directly to the winery where they were gently pressed and cold settled for three days. The juice was racked to a mixture of old French oak barrels and puncheons and left to spontaneously ferment by indigenous, ‘wild’ yeast, a process that took several months to complete. Occasional lees stirring and partial malolactic fermentation occurred before the wine was transferred out of oak after 11 months, just in time for the 2023 harvest. Each batch was left on lees and kept separate until June when the blend was assembled and settled prior to bottling in July."
Rated Excellent & 94/100 Cameron Douglas MS, September 2023 (2022 Vintage)
"An excellent bouquet of fresh pink grapefruit and ripe white stone fruit, there’s a complexity from quietly spoken barrel spices and ferment. Youthful, new and vibrant. Delicious on the palate with a mix of traditional citrus and white fleshed orchard fruit flavours, some tropical moments then an edgy complexity from lees and the barrel ferment technique. A backbone of acidity, fresh and dried herbs and a youthful power. Still need s some time to to fully settle with best drinking from mid 2024 through 2027+.
