Meltwater Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2018

Now let’s be honest. We’re not the biggest fans of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Actually that’s not really honest. Let’s turn up the dial. As a general rule we can’t stand the stuff. But Mike Patterson is Mike Patterson, a very talented grower and maker who we respect enormously. And when we tried the wine, we were suitably won over. The fruit came from a sustainably farmed vineyard in the southern foothills of the Wairau Valley. It was hand harvested into small bins and indigenous yeast fermentation occurred in tank. The wine was fermented to dryness then aged on lees for six-eight months over winter. Racked and allowed to settle prior to bottling in February 2019.

The result is crisp and crunchy wine with none of the stereotypical characters that are associated with this wine style. The pure and lifted aromatics suggest fresh basil and mandarin while the palate is racy and energetic with again mandarin peel, ripe apple and a backbone of crisp acidity. An excellent example of the genre.