Viticulture

The Staete Landt Vineyard is located in Marlborough’s top Rapaura region where a completely different weather pattern ensued for the 2006 vintage. A mild winter was followed by an early warm spring resulting in an earlier than usual budburst, after which variable wet and windy conditions occurred at flowering. This caused a slight reduction in fruit set and subsequent crop levels. We therefore performed less fruit removal than in recent years. The summer months were mild with ideal warm and dry conditions prevailing in the lead up to an exceptionally early harvest which occurred more than one month earlier than usual.

The Staete Landt Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 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: Harvest Dates: March 9 – March 18 2006
Brix: Brix: 21.6 – 23.2

Winemaking

Each parcel harvest was managed slightly differently in the winery. The majority of the parcels were machine harvested and fermented using neutral yeast strains so that the fruit flavours and aromas were emphasized. Two other portions were hand picked and whole bunch pressed to retain delicacy and elegance. One of these hand picked portions along with half of the machine picked portions were aged on yeast lees for 2 to 5 months. During this time we allowed these components to develop a subtle but complex creaminess. The second hand picked portion (about 15% of the wine) was fermented in 6 to 10 year old French barriques with a mix of cultured and indigenous yeast strains. This resulted in more complexity to the wine and minimal oak flavour due to the age of the barrels.

Wine Analysis

Alcohol: 13.5%; Acidity: 7.0 g/l; pH: 3.12; Sugar: <2.0 g/l

Tasting Note

A complex and intensely aromatic Sauvignon Blanc. This wine is perfumed with aromas of passionfruit and gooseberries. On the palate the wine is full bodied with real concentration of flavour and aroma, a passionfruit character is dominant but this is backed by subtle mineral and spicy, dry hay characters 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.