Not a new one for you today but a beauty for sure. Greywacke are not only an amazing company but they produce some of the best Sauvignon Blanc I have ever come across. You'll see why in a moment!

Greywacke was created in 2009 by Kevin Judd, chief winemaker at Cloudy Bay from its inception for 25 years and instrumental in the international recognition which Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc enjoys now. The name 'Greywacke' was adopted by Kevin for his first Marlborough vineyard located in Rapaura in recognition of the high prevalence of rounded greywacke river stones in the soils of the vineyard, a sedimentary rock which is widely found in Marlborough. Kevin Judd is also New Zealand's finest wine photographer and has recently published a book 'The Landscape of New Zealand Wine'.

The season kicked off in timely fashion and settled conditions during December allowed a generous crop to set. Extremely low rainfall during the early summer put pressure on water supplies, but rain in early January broke the drought and vineyards flourished as temperatures started to climb above average in the New Year. Considerable thinning was carried out across all varieties to establish ideal cropping levels. Harvest started in mid-March, and in late March northerly airstreams brought a couple of dumps of rain, which put pressure on the harvest and led to remedial canopy and crop management being needed in many vineyards. Temperatures remained well above average and Marlborough’s classic Indian summer made a welcome appearance allowing vineyards to achieve full ripeness. The last sauvignon blanc was hand-picked on April 18 under sunny skies.

 

 

Harvested largely by machine during cool night-time conditions, the grapes were picked into half-tonne bins, which were tipped directly into the tank press and lightly pressed. The resulting juice was cold-settled prior to fermentation in stainless steel, primarily using cultured yeast for cool, slow fermentation. A portion was allowed to undergo spontaneous indigenous yeast fermentation using slightly warmer temperature regimes.


Greywacke Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2016 @ £16.95 - Buy it here!

A delicious fusion of ripe summer fruits and delicate floral perfume, citrus blossom and elderflower entwined with nectarines and white peaches, mandarin and cantaloupe with a twist of lemon. Intensely flavoured, succulent and crisp with a delicate herbal infusion.

Sounds wonderful doesn't it? It really is worth every penny. Cheers!