Tohu Awatere Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2023

TASTING NOTES Sourced entirely from vineyards located in Marlborough’s stunning Awatere Valley, this vibrant wine displays aromas of ripe tropical fruit and passionfruit with lifted notes of currant and tomato leaf. The concentrated palate is layered with flavours of sweet juicy pineapple, pink grapefruit, fresh green apple and hints of black olive. With herbal notes and a zesty minerality this wine leads to a pure, lively and focused dry finish that has both freshness and length.

Tohu Manaaki is a special range of sub-regional wines.

The 2022/2023 growing season was characterised by wet and cool conditions during the spring and summer, however this generally unfavourable weather gave way to an incredible run of dry and sunny days leading up to harvest. The fruit benefited from a longer ripening period on the vine, and with optimal autumn conditions perfectly ripe fruit in excellent condition was harvested during late March and early April 2023.

The 2022/2023 growing season was characterised by wet and cool conditions during the spring and summer, however this generally unfavourable weather gave way to an incredible run of dry and sunny days leading up to harvest. The fruit benefited from a longer ripening period on the vine, and with optimal autumn conditions perfectly ripe fruit in excellent condition was harvested during late March and early April 2023.

Grapes for this wine are sourced from blocks located in the upper, mid, and lower areas of the Awatere Valley. The Awatere Valley is cooler, drier and windier overall than other sub-regions of Marlborough, with a longer and cooler growing season. These climatic factors combined with vineyards located on young, fertile river terraces result in distinctive wines with a mineral drive and fruit forward flavours. The 2018/2019 growing season in the Awatere began with unsettled weather resulting in lower yields overall, however a warm and dry summer with perfect growing conditions. grapes were able to be picked at optimal ripeness over harvest resulting in a wine with outstanding aromatics, palate weight and texture.

Select blocks from the Awatere Valley are harvested using modern machine harvesters allowing ultimate extraction of flavour and aroma compounds from the skins of the grapes. Once at the winery the grapes are pressed into stainless steel tanks for cold settling, before being gently racked and inoculated with select yeasts chosen to naturally enhance the aromatic and flavour profiles of the wine. Fermentation is carried out at cool temperatures allowing the wine to retain its bright aromas; with each batch fermentation typically lasting around 21 days. After fermentation is complete the wines are left to settle on their yeast lees for a short period before being racked again into stainless steel tanks for maturation. Meticulous classification of each batch results in a final blend that truly captures the exceptional characteristics of the vineyards. Once blended the resulting wine is stabilised and filtered without the need for fining, ready for bottling in mid-July 2019.

Color