Blank Canvas Abstract Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2017

Description

Dry

• French oak
• Grapefruit & guava
• Struck flint & savoury notes
• Complex & powerful

"Oak fermented and matured Sauvignon Blanc that's as much about texture as it is about grapefruit, guava, struck flint, mineral and passionfruit flavours. An impressive wine with power and purity" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, May 2019

"Bold and very expressive bouquet with layers of dried and fresh herbs, citrus peel, wet gravelly soils and then some tropical fruit moments. The palate reveals much more with a silky texture, soft toasty wood spice with a vanilla edge, white peach, apple, wild flowers and rose flavours. There’s plenty of acidity to add freshness and structure as well as carry through the flavours to a lengthy finish. As the wine begins to open up the complexity and depth begin to show as well. A very good wine and one that requires your time and attention. Well made with a great finish. Drink now and through 2022" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Dec 2019

While the classic expression of this famous wine style is about fruit purity and crispness, this wine represents an alternative interpretation. ‘Abstract’ is a departure from the norm. This wine is all about texture and layers of aromatic complexity derived from both fruit and winemaking. The Holdaway family vineyard in Dillons Point provides the pillar of blackcurrant, passionfruit and its signature salty minerality, while the 100% wild yeast fermentation in seasoned French oak puncheons offers savoury attraction and complexity on the palate.

2017 was unprecedented in Marlborough, being hit by two tropical cyclones during the peak of harvest. Cyclone Debbie hit the region on the 2nd April while the second cyclone, Cook, hit on 13th April.The small 3.5 tonne parcel of Abstract Sauvignon Blanc was hand-harvested on the 12th April, just before the second big storm. The favourable weather leading up to harvest meant the fruit was in excellent condition and so this small parcel hung through the first storm without issue. The flavours just before picking were exceptional. Because of the rain events and cloudy skies, ripening was long and slow, thus an appropriate small yield was crucial to obtain the desired level of ripeness.

The fruit came from a single vineyard in the Dillons Point sub-region located on the coastal fringe of the Wairau Valley. This vineyard belongs to the Holdaway family who have been farming in Marlborough since 1864 and is currently run by Alan, wife Janette and their son Richard. They practice sustainable viticulture with such things as their own compost and mulching preparations to maintain organic matter in the soil. The soils are fertile and deep but well-drained, with plenty of mineral nutrients which is perfect for Sauvignon. Unusually this parcel is dry-farmed, so the roots go deep, maintaining vigour via the pure underground acquifers. The vineyard is VSP-trained and cane-pruned with wild-sown cover crops for extra organic matter and biodiversity.

The grapes were hand-harvested on 12th April. We gently whole-bunch pressed the fruit with the free run juice only going to three to five-year-old French oak puncheons (500l). The wine was allowed to ferment naturally with wild yeasts and on full solids. Maturation in these seasoned oak puncheons took place for 15 months on fine lees before being bottled without filtration on 2nd August 2018.