Wild Sauvignon Blanc 2021

Kevin Judd is one of the region's pioneering oenologists who helped make New Zealand wines famous. In 2009, he created his own estate which he named Greywacke , after the rocky substrate (sandstone) which gives rise to the vineyards located around the Wairau River. Based in the Omaka Valley, Kevin and his small team produce fine and complex wines. Low-intervention winemaking aims to produce vintages with a distinctive character. Among them, its 'signature' vintage, Wild Sauvignon, a new wave Sauvignon, fermented in old barrels with native yeasts, which plays as much on the purity of the fruit as on the creaminess of the texture.

The grapes are sourced from different vineyards across the southern valleys and central Wairau plains, particularly Woodbourne, Renwick and Rapaura. Soil types vary between alluvial deposits, sedimentary rocks of marine origin and dense clays. The grapes are delicately pressed then the juice is transferred to old oak barrels where it will ferment for more than 6 months. Then the wine is transferred to stainless steel vats to age on fine lees for 8 months. This wine reveals notes of peach , passion fruit , pear , fresh herbs , candied citrus peel , anise , elderflower , honeysuckle , shortbread and lemon thyme . The palate is fresh and complex, of beautiful substance with a lot of finesse. The finish is long and mineral.

Introduced in 1819, the cultivation of vines was greatly developed by Jean-Baptiste Pompallier, a French Marist missionary. Sent to Oceania in 1837, he settled in January 1838 to develop the New Zealand vineyards. The first quality vineyards were established in the Hawke's Bay region in the 19th and early 20th centuries. After the production hazards first due to Phylloxera and then to the First World War, this vineyard began to expand again during the Second World War when its surface area doubled. Today, New Zealand has 10 major wine regions spread between the North and South Islands, the largest of which is Marlborough. Most of New Zealand's wine regions have a maritime climate. The long, thin shape of the country means that vineyards are never more than 120km from the coast and most are even much closer than that (with the exception of the semi-continental region of Central Otago). A spine of mountains running through the center of the country protects most of the major wine regions from the strong westerly winds from the Tasman Sea known as the "Roaring Forties". Due to these winds, there are few wine growing regions on the west coast of New Zealand. The quality and reputation of New Zealand wines is well established. Indeed, this country produces some of the best and most recognized Sauvignon Blanc in the world. And it is no coincidence that New Zealand has succeeded in making Sauvignon blanc its symbol, just like its sheep, its kiwi and its legendary haka!