Blank Canvas Holdaway Vineyard Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2024

Description

Blackcurrant, Dry, Passionfruit

"A stunning example with a bouquet of minerality and salty air, scents of nettles and tropical fruits, cape gooseberry and citrus peel. As the wine touches the palate the impacts of acidity and fresh citrus fruits are revealed first, then apple and fresh sage, basil and aforementioned tropical fruits. Saline and fresh, a delicious wine with a decent palate squeeze. Lengthy and well made with best drinking from day of purchase through 2029+" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Jan 2025

"Intense, aromatic sauvignon with pronounced passion fruit/tropical fruit flavours together with grapefruit, red capsicum, oyster shell and gooseberry supported by vibrant juicy acidity that helps drive a lengthy finish" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, The Real Review, Jan 2025

"The 2024 Sauvignon Blanc Holdaway Vineyard provides a vivid, vibrant, crisp and crunchy expression. It's finely flavored but not overt: expect a salty note like the sea air, lemon, passion fruit and snow pea flavors lending back up. Despite its assertiveness, it is finely poised and has a much better sense of direction than I do, providing line and length" Rebecca Gibb, Master of Wine, Vinous

This single vineyard rendition of Sauvignon Blanc is from the regeneratively farmed Holdaway Vineyard at Dillons Point — our favourite sub-region for the variety. It is a classic expression of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, being 100% tank fermented, but it offers complexity of texture and a mineral drive that summons river stones and sea spray. Blackcurrant, guava and passionfruit are captured alongside the subtlest hint of oyster-shell. This wine is focused and explosive on both nose and palate yet remains elegantly balanced and distinctly salty.

The 2024 harvest was a dream’. Marlborough experienced a dry winter and isolated spring frost events which meant bunch numbers were slightly down on long-term average. This coupled with a flowering period that featured some very cold nights and changeable daytime weather, led to a below-average set of berries so yields were very low across all varieties. Harvest conditions were perfect, with dry warm days and cool nights leading to incredibly clean fruit that has resounding palate weight and intensity of flavour.

The Holdaway Vineyard is in the Dillons Point subregion located on the coastal fringe of the Wairau Valley. The vineyard is owned by the Holdaway family who have been farming in Marlborough for generations and is currently run by Alan and Janette and their sons Richard and Robbie. They are passionate advocates of regenerative viticulture; among other things they grow impressive inter-row mixed species plantings and follow a zero-till philosophy to build all-important organic matter and microbial diversity in the soil. The alluvial silts here are fertile and deep but are well-drained, with plenty of mineral nutrients, which is perfect for nutrient-hungry Sauvignon Blanc. The vineyard is VSP-trained and cane-pruned.

Grapes were machine harvested in the cool of the night to ensure no harsh phenolics were extracted and acidity was preserved. The grapes were crushed and gently pressed in a pneumatic press to avoid skin contact, and the juice transferred directly into stainless steel. The must was settled naturally and fermented at cool temperatures. Post-fermentation it was left on light lees to increase textural complexity. It was gently crossflow filtered prior to bottling.