Astrolabe Kēkerengū Coast Sauvignon Blanc 2023

SUB-REGIONAL!

TASTING NOTES

COLOUR/APPEARANCE Pale straw with green highlights.

AROMA/BOUQUET Citrus pith, lime and grapefruit zest and hints of jasmine tea, fennel and basil.

PALATE A medium-bodied wine with flinty, almost salty notes, passionfruit flavours and a dry finish.

AGING POTENTIAL This wine is enjoyable in its youth but will develop soundly in bottle.

FOOD PAIRING Raw oysters, tempura vegetables, delicate white fish like flounder and crayfish with lemongrass.

SAUVIGNON BLANC SERVING TEMPERATURE Chilled.

Simon has long been an advocate of sub-regional identification within Marlborough. In his Valleys range, he reveals the profound influence of mesoclimate and soil variation on our classic Marlborough varietals. These wines are a study in terroir and a reflection of the complexity of the region.

Climate: After a wet winter, spring was drier and warmer than normal, but regular rain events kept vines growing and in good health. Budburst was very good, and bunch numbers per vine were ahead of the long-term average. Through late spring and summer wet and humid conditions prevailed, and the outlook was for a difficult harvest period with high fungal disease potential. Late summer and autumn were very good, with sunny and dry weather that helped the harvest come through in very good condition and about a week later than recent seasons.

Harvest Date: Between the 5th and 28th of April, 2023.

Vine Management: Standard trellis, with pruning to two to four canes, and vertical shoot positioning. Vines are trimmed closely, well tucked and lightly leaf plucked.

WINEMAKING Grapes were machine harvested in cool conditions, de-stemmed and lightly pressed with minimal skin contact. Clear juice was tank-fermented at low temperature using neutral yeast strains to allow the powerful fruit flavours to dominate. I blended in a portion of whole bunch pressed, high solids, and wild yeast barrel ferment to add subtle texture and complexity. Bottled 12th September, 2023.

Clear juice was tank-fermented at low temperature using neutral yeast strains to allow the powerful fruit flavours to dominate. A portion was blended in of the previous vintage that was whole bunch pressed, high solids, and wild yeast barrel fermented.