Forrest Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2018

Description

Dry

• Dry style
• Fresh lychee
• Troical fruit
• Crisp & refreshing

"Delicately aromatic Sauvignon Blanc with a sea air mineral character plus lemon, guava and a hint of tropical fruit flavour. A focused, tangy wine with a backbone of vibrant acidity and peppery tannins" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review

"Classic bouquet with a punchy and forward bouquet showing off sweet herbs and green bell-pepper, fresh lychee, apple and passion fruit. Quite floral as well. Dry on the palate with salivating acidity and fruit flavours that match the bouquet. Pungent, savoury, herbaceous and fruity finish - what’s not to like" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier

"It is punchy and splendidly fragrant on the nose showing passionfruit, feijoa, lemon peel and Gala apple characters, followed by an intensely expressed palate that is juicy and lively. The palate delivers excellent fruit purity, brilliantly supported by refreshing acidity, finishing persistent and delectable" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit

"Light yellow colour, with a sweaty Marlborough regional sauvignon aroma, intense and creamy/yeasty as well as passionfruity. A highly aromatic style.The palate is clean and finishes dry and appetising. Very good" Huon Hooke, Real Review

"Brilliant straw-yellow colour with light green tints. The nose is finely and firmly presented with very deep and intense aromas of savoury pungent passionfruit, along with some complexing reductive elements lending a punchy earthiness. Dark herbal and tropical fruit elements unfold n the glass. Dry to taste and medium-bodied, the palate has a rounded, but positive core with packed flavours of savoury pungent passionfruit, along with dark herbs and nuances of tropical fruit. The mouthfeel is gently refreshing with lacy acidity, the wine carrying along a light-textured line, leading to a lingering finish of passionfruit and herbs. This is a deep, savoury, pungent passionfruited Sauvignon on a rounded palate with gentle, refreshing acidity. Serve with salads and vegetables, and Mediterranean fare over the next 2 years. All Wairau Valley fruit, 45% ‘Giffords Road’, 40% from ‘Winery’ blocks and the remainder from ‘North Bank’ and ‘Jacksons Road’, fermented in stainless-steel to 12.5% alc., 5% of the wine aged in lees in barrel post ferment" Raymond Chan, Sep 2018

Classic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc - all passionfruit, grapefruit, elderflower and flowering blooms on the nose. To taste, tropical fruits - passionfruit and guava, aromatic herbs -lemon thyme and sage with hints of white flowers. It’s full and generous in the mouth, yet crisp, refreshing and dry with just a hint of salty minerality on the finish.

Vintage 2018 proved the age old adage that no two vintages are ever the same! It was a challenging year, especially from veraison (early February) to harvest (late March) due to unseasonable heavy and warm rain events. Spring growth conditions were excellent, early December flowering conditions ideal and summer balmy – all looked set for a cracking vintage; maybe 7-10 days early – but that’s not a bad thing. However the change in weather from February had us on our toes watching for botrytis infection and praying to the weather gods for a break in the rain…. We began harvest early on the 7th of March, with fruit flavours and grape health looking good, however, the detailed 10-day weather forecast showed dark clouds and prolonged rain moving in once again. As vintage 2017 began to ring in our heads we hit the accelerator and managed to have 90% of the fruit in the door before the next downfall. An ideal weather window post-rain and some good spring winds managed to dry out the canopies and finish the season perfectly for our late harvest and botrytis varieties. So all in all, for Forrest, a good vintage, with clean, varietal fruit flavours, balanced acidity and great palate weight. Some little gems have emerged in the blending sessions and we think you will be enjoying some more impressive Forrest Wines this year!

This Sauvignon Blanc was drawn from 4 vineyards located around Renwick in the Wairau River Valley. Whilst all have their own characteristics, they share in common the Wairau plains, gravel-rich, free draining and devigourating soil profile. This classical Marlborough terroir is critical in achieving the smaller berries and lower cropping levels needed to produce premium Sauvignon Blanc.

The grapes were machine harvested in the cool of the morning, cold settled and cool fermented in stainless steel tanks. The wine is left on its lees to develop that textural creamy mid-palate, before being blended with a small oak component and bottled ready for summer.