Viticulture

The year 2005 was the sixth vintage produced from the Staete Landt Vineyard in Marlborough’s top Rapaura region. A completely different weather pattern ensured we were kept on our toes. The early part of the growing season right through to mid-summer was quite wet and cold which had some influence on flowering and fruit set of most varietals, including our Sauvignon Blanc. We therefore needed to do less fruit removal than in recent years. From mid January onwards a variable weather pattern emerged with a pick up in average temperatures. The final one and half months prior to harvest were ideal: warm and dry often with very cool night time temperatures. This quite delayed harvest and resulted in lower crops but with very clean ripe aromatic fruit with zingy acidity.
The Staete Landt Vineyard Sauvignon is planted in 6 different blocks. We pick the different blocks separately as soon as they reach ripeness to give us different component wines. This gives us a spread of wines with different structures and flavour. The first picks were to retain a slight herbaceousness combined with intensity and vivacity of aroma and that zingy acidity that is the hallmark of good Sauvignon. The later picks were to provide the weight and tropical fruit concentration that we aim for in our Sauvignon Blanc.

Harvest Dates: 16 April – 23 April 2005
Brix: 22.6 – 24.1

Winemaking

Each picking was treated slightly differently in the winery. The majority of the grapes were

machine harvested and fermented using neutral yeast so that the fruit flavours and aromas were emphasized. This wine was racked immediately after ferment.
Two other portions were hand picked and whole bunch pressed to retain delicacy and elegance. The first portion aged in a tank on its lees thus allowing a subtle but complex delicate wine to develop.
The second hand picked portion (about 10% of the wine) was fermented in ten to six year old French oak barrels and was aged for a further 3 months on its lees. A third of this portion underwent indigenous yeast fermentation. This resulted in more complexity to the wine and minimal oak flavour due to the age of the barrels.

Wine Analysis

Alcohol: 14%; Acidity: 7.7 g/l; pH: 3.23; Sugar: <1 g/l

Tasting Note

A complex and intensely aromatic Sauvignon Blanc. This wine is perfumed with aromas of passion fruit and gooseberries. In the mouth the wine is full bodied with real concentration of flavour and aroma, a passion fruit character is dominant but this is backed by subtle dry grass like flavours with creamy almost nutty complexity and a crisp ripe attractive acidity.
This is a wine for drinking whilst young but has the substance and concentration to develop well over two to five years once the primary fruit aromas have subsided.