Catalina Sounds Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2021

Description

Dry

• Dry style
• Alpine herbs
• Citrus
• Creamy texture

"Vibrant, fresh, a core of tropical and fresh orchard fruits, herbaceous and mineral laden with river stone and a light salty air moment. Lively, crunchy, fruity, saline and dry. A core of fruit flavours that mirror the nose, balanced, well made and excellent drinking from today and through 2024+" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Sep 2021

The wine has subtle alpine herb notes, overlayed with ripe citrus fruit and touches of minerality. The palate is creamy initially, with focussed mid-palate fruit weight and texture. The naturally lower acidity from the 2021 vintage supports expressive and balanced flavours through to a refreshing and lasting finish. Restrained initially, the wine will open up with time in the glass – discover more depth and interest with each sip.

The 100% Suavignon Blanc fruit for the 2021 vintage is predominantly sourced from their estate vineyard, Sound of White in the Waihopai Valley (35%), VB Premium (Southern Valley) (22%), Linford (Central Wairau) (15%), Allen (Central Wairau) (9%), Murphy (Lower Wairau) (8%), Nesbit (Wairau) (5%), Bond (Central Wairau) (3%), Kennedy (Lower Wairau) (3%).

The 2021 vintage certainly had its nuances compared to vintages over the last decade. Early spring frosts, combined with cool wet weather during flowering had a significant impact across Marlborough, resulting in yields being lower than average across the region. Summer turned out dry and warm, and with low-yields an early harvest was upon them; starting 10 days earlier than 2020. Fruit quality was exceptional this year and the wines certainly reflect this with strong Marlborough typicity.

Fruit was harvested when ripe from their estate and grower vineyards in the cooler part of the day. All the fruit was harvested between the 12th of March and the 10th of April. After pressing the juice was fermented at low temperatures in stainless steel (97%) and a small (3%) portion from their estate in large oak cuvee. All of their vineyards are kept as separate as possible until blending. Post-ferment the wines were left on yeast lees for a touch of added texture before blending and bottling in July 2021.

Food Pairing: A range of seafood dishes, hard cheeses and crisp green salads with fresh herbs.