Nautilus Sauvignon Blanc 6/75cl 2023

1985 was the inaugural vintage of Sauvignon Blanc. Since that time, this wine has been admired worldwide for its consistency high quality and distinctive, textural, complex style.

The 2023 growing season was a challenging one, dominated by La Niña conditions brought more overcast weather with regular rainfalls. It certainly kept the vineyard team on their toes. However, the rains stopped in January just in time for the critical ripening period and thankfully the early autumn weather was kind - allowing us to get the grapes were harvested in excellent condition. After several early harvests in recent years, 2023 followed a more ‘normal’ pattern. We started the Sauvignon harvest on the 16th March and a rush at the end saw us wrapped up by the 8th of April. The harvest was orderly, in that one variety followed another, and enjoyable as our picking decisions were made on flavour, not logistics or pending weather events. Quality across the board is fantastic, we had a great range of flavours across our Sauvignon Blanc ferments and blending was a pleasure.

The fruit was machine harvested at night or in the cool of the morning and immediately crushed and pressed. The juice was then fermented with a variety of aromatic yeast strains in stainless steel tanks - the sole aim being to reflect and preserve the flavours and aromas grown in the vineyard. 5% of the juice was fermented with a non-saccharomyces yeast and 1% was barrel fermented. After fermentation, the wine was kept in contact with the lees for three months. This classic technique enhances creaminess and integrates flavours.