Greywacke, Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc

Origin

Fruit was sourced from various prime vineyard sites in Marlborough’s Southern Valleys, the central Wairau Plains (specifically in Woodbourne, Renwick and Rapaura) and a spectacular river terrace site in the upper Awatere Valley. Soil types vary from the young alluvial soils of Rapaura, Renwick and the upper Awatere, which contain high proportions of New Zealand’s ubiquitous greywacke river stones, to the older and denser clay-loams of the Southern Valleys.

Producer

Greywacke has become synonymous with the highest quality expression of the world standard Sauvignon Blanc style of Marlborough. It was created in 2009 by Kevin Judd, the person responsible for the ground-breaking early wines produced in Marlborough. The name ‘Greywacke’ was adopted by Kevin for his first Marlborough vineyard, located in Rapaura, in recognition of the prevalence of rounded greywacke river stones in the vineyard’s soils. ‘Greywacke’ is a sedimentary rock that is widely found in Marlborough, consisting of layers of hard grey sandstone and darker mudstone.

Grape Variety

100% Sauvignon Blanc.

Harvested largely by machine during cool (often cold) night-time conditions, the sauvignon blanc grapes were picked into half-tonne bins, which were tipped directly into the tank press and lightly pressed. The resulting juice was cold-settled prior to fermentation in stainless steel, primarily using cultured yeast for cool, slow fermentation. A portion was allowed to undergo spontaneous indigenous yeast fermentation using slightly warmer temperature regimes. All individual vineyard batches were left on lees and kept separate until late July, when the blend was assembled. The wine was bottled in mid-August.

Food Match

An indulgent aperitif, but lovely with simply steamed asparagus served with butter and/or hollandaise; also works well with pan fried white fish served on a bed of ratatouille.

Alcohol Percentage

13.5%

In the Press

95 points – Cameron Douglas MS, NZ Sauvignon Blanc: 20 Top Buys From 2020, Decanter, April 2021