Mahi Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2023

Mahi Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2023This wine shows an array of fruit characters, ranging from citrus through to tropical notes. This is complemented by some secondary characters from the natural yeast ferments and some barrel aging. The palate has an elegant structure with a creamy, textural mid palate and a long finish. This year, our 23rd, was again distinctive and it was a late start for us and was a longer vintage. Starting on March the 15th the weather stayed very settled through

This wine shows an array of fruit characters, ranging from citrus through to tropical notes. This is complemented by some secondary characters from the natural yeast ferments and some barrel aging. The palate has an elegant structure with a creamy, textural mid-palate and a long finish.

This year, our 23rd, was again distinctive and it was a late start for us and was a longer vintage. Starting on March the 15th the weather stayed very settled through the vintage period and allowed us to pick as we like until we finished on April 18th. Smaller crops always helps and after a warm period after Christmas the temperatures cooled down to ‘average’ and it served to maintain fruit flavours while ripening the fruit. A great team form seven nations worked so well together and we are super happy with the eventual wines.

The focus with this wine is to provide a drink that has texture and depth, rather than focussing solely on primary fruit notes. We want a wine that satisfies across the palate and employ a number of techniques to achieve this. Our Sauvignon this year comes from five different vineyards, all of them giving particular attributes to the final wine. The hand-picked fruit was whole cluster pressed so that the time on skins was minimised. A portion of this juice, 19% this year, was barrel fermented in seasoned French barriques to give greater weight, though ensuring that wood is not evident on the nose. The balance of the wine was fermented cool to retain the fruit characters from our vineyards. The native ferment portion, 35%, also adds levels of flavour and texture, giving a savoury note that balances some sweeter fruit. The final blend was made solely from free-run juice, as we feel it gives a more elegant and subtle wine, a key for us.