Astrolabe Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2021

Aroma - Powerful gooseberry, white currant, red capsicum, passionfruit and lime peel aromas.

Palate - Medium-bodied, with strong flavours of makrut lime, passionfruit, lemongrass and a refreshingly smooth, dry and persistent finish.

Climate: The 2020–2021 growing season was warmer than normal, though cooler than two of the recent very warm years of vintages 2018 and 2019. Little rain fell from December to late March, and water deficit conditions prevailed. Cold and wet Spring flowering conditions resulted in fewer berries per bunch and significantly reduced yields — about 70% of normal. Above average sunshine and heat, coupled with the light crop, gave a record early harvest. The vine canopies survived the arid weather, largely due to the light fruit load, and fungal disease was largely non-existent. Wines from the vintage tend to have good concentration.

Soils: Free-draining stony, silty loam, with some vineyards having clay or limestone content.

Vine Management: Standard trellis, with pruning to two to four canes, and vertical shoot positioning. Vines are trimmed closely, well tucked and lightly leaf plucked.

Harvest Date: Between 16th March and 8th April, 2021.

WINEMAKING The fruit was machine harvested in cool evening conditions, de-stemmed and lightly pressed with minimal skin contact. Clear, cold-settled juice was fermented in stainless steel vats at low temperatures, using neutral wine yeast strains to allow the powerful fruit flavours to dominate.