Whitehaven Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2023

Colour / Appearance: Pale lemon.

Aroma / Bouquet: Classical Marlborough with aromas of grapefruit, lemongrass and crushed herbs underscored with complexing hints of tropical fruits and gooseberry.

Palate: Pure and concentrated with intermingling flavours of grapefruit, white peach, lemongrass boxwood and citrus with oyster shell and saline notes promoting a focussed textural element. Medium bodied, the palate is layered and dense yet retains elegance with a lingering, precise finish.

Sauvignon Blanc harvest

We are proud to source the fruit for this wine exclusively from Marlborough.

The 2022 growing season started with soil moisture at capacity, following an unusually wet winter which had seen flooding in parts of the region. Pleasingly, the region did not suffer any major frost events and despite conditions in November being a little wet, the warmth that went with it meant that flowering was not drawn out and resulted in good fruit set and the prospect of healthy yields. The remainder of the season was punctuated by cooler weather and rainfall events and we were vigilant around disease pressure as we entered the harvest period. Harvest was later this year and Brix accumulation was slow. We experienced another rain event in the final third of March, following which we thought it best to harvest as quickly as possible in order to retain pure fruit expression. This is where Whitehaven’s new receival building came to the fore, allowing greater throughput while maintaining the quality focus and attention to detail that Whitehaven prides itself on.

Winemaking: The fruit was machine harvested, often overnight, and pressed immediately with minimal skin contact. After cold settling, the clear juice was fermented in stainless steel tanks at 16°C – 12°C with selected yeast strains to preserve pure sub regional characters and varietal flavours. Wines sat on light yeast lees in tank for up to 2 months prior to blending in June 2021. The wine has been heat and cold stabilised, and sterile filtered, prior to bottling.

The fruit was machine harvested, often overnight, and pressed immediately with minimal skin contact. After settling, the clear juice was fermented in stainless steel tanks at 16°C – 12°C with selected yeast strains to preserve pure sub regional characters and varietal flavours. Wines sat on light yeast lees in tank for up to 6 weeks prior to blending in June 23. The wine has been heat and cold stabilised, and sterile filtered, prior to bottling.