|
NOTES
Wairau River Wines takes its name from the beautiful braided river on whose banks Phil and Chris Rose planted their first vines in 1978. (Wairau is Maori for ‘many waters’). At the top of New Zealand’s South Island, the river runs through the Wairau Valley in the temperate Marlborough region, which is framed by two ranges of hills. Marlborough’s maritime climate makes for a long growing season, and the land bordering the Wairau River at the foot of the Richmond Ranges enjoys long warm days and cool nights.
Wairau River is a family wine estate, and the beauty of this is that we nurture the wines from the smallest shoot on the vine to the bottle. Everything is done by us, hands on. In the vineyards Phil and Hamish Rose take care to keep yields low to ensure the fruit ripens perfectly (in the shallow soil with low fertility which gives rise to such concentrated flavours). Once the fruit is picked and brought in to the winery in small parcels, each distinctive block is matched to its own tank, allowing the small batch vintning that is the key to building all the elements of the Wairau River blend. It goes without saying that only the best grapes go into our flagship Wairau River label.
TASTING NOTES
The vineyards have again given us fruit which displays classic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc characters of gooseberry and passionfruit. The resultant wine then echoes these characters. With a generous mid and back palate this wine shows refinement and elegance finishing with great length. Savour with high jinks and convivial company.
OTHER REVIEWS
Sauvignon Blanc as painted by Van Gogh: as bright as the light on a sunny Marlborough day. It oozes acidic zest and citrus-cum-melon flavours. A wine that’s asks for food: grilled goats cheese salad would fit the bill splendidly. 4 Stars, January 08 Cuisine Magazine.
This clean, crisp savvy is less zingy than many of its Marlborough rivals, but just as mouth-filling. It has a subtle passionfruit aroma, an archetypal gooseberry flavour - but not overwhelming- and a citrusy finish. Winemaker Allan McWilliams urges us to savour this wine with convivial company. We did. - Brian Prebble, The Press January 2008
|
