• Dry style
• Mandarin
• Sweet basil
• Elegant & juicy

Pale straw with a hint of green and gold. This wine has lifted aromas of mandarin zest, quince, yellow peach, sweet basil, gooseberry, white pepper and distinct wet stone minerality, with structured herbal notes. The palate is elegant, with juicy mandarin, earthy cumin, sweet basil and ripe yellow star fruit (carambola). Layered and textured, the wine is clean and fresh with flavours of ripe pineapple and a mild tannin note sitting over a layer of umami.

The grapes for this wine came from a small parcel of vines on our certified-organic Woolshed vineyard on the Loveblock Farm, in the Lower Dashwood sub-region of Marborough’s Awatere Valley. The soil type is predominately aged alluvial loams containing some silt loam over stone. Dependent on vigour, the vines are pruned to two or three canes and trained in a normal vertical shoot position. Harvest occurred in the month of March. No sulphur was added in the vineyard. Use of regenerative growth, manure and horn on the vineyard is employed to promote balanced, fertile soil, biodiversity and healthy grape growth in order to produce wine without the use of chemical pesticides, fungicides or additives of any kind. 

Here at Loveblock, we always make wine with lower levels of added sulphur, and TEE explores the elimination of added sulphur to wine (the traditional wine preservative). Oenological tannins are commonly used in the winemaking process to perform various functions. We found that the tannin extracted from green tea leaves (Camelia sinesis) also provides powerful protection against oxidation and spoilage as a natural antioxidant. Every time the juice/wine was exposed to oxygen (i.e. every time it was moved), 5 mg/L of green tea extract (tannin) (Ti Premium® SG produced by Enologica Vason S.p.A.) was added.

Perched right on top of the hills overlooking Marlborough's Awatere Valley, our Loveblock is far removed from the agricultural bustle in the valley below. From here you can almost see the end of the planet, the peace lifts you above your troubles. We are charged with creating the best wine we can to express this extraordinary place with its unique aspect. At the heart of our farming and winemaking practice is respect, environmental care and deep sustainability, from soil to bottle.

Food Pairing: A perfect match with fatty fried food, pork belly, roast chicken, Vietnamese cuisine, seafood or a funky cheese.