Mahi Single Vineyard The Alias Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2023

Description

Dry, Oak, Passionfruit

"White nectarine, peach and guava aromas lead onto a sleek, ripe intensely fruited palate. There's a satin texture to the fruit so although there's plenty of succulent acidity, there's also a really charming generous, supple character too" Jane Skilton, Master of Wine, The Real Review, Jan 2026

The influence of wild yeast, vineyard site, barrel-ferment and time on lees makes for a rich and textural style of Sauvignon Blanc. Fifteen months in French barriques has given this wine a well-rounded textural palate while still retaining freshness at the back of the palate. 

Mahi, meaning ‘our work, our craft’, began in 2001, fulfilling a dream of ours. After 15 vintages it was time to do our own thing. With a strong focus on single-vineyard wines, and now backed up by a series of premium regional wines from Marlborough, the idea behind Mahi is to respect and promote the individuality of the various vineyards. The Mahi symbol represents the strength, life, and growth of the native New Zealand frond (fern), with the understanding that wine should never be rushed to bottle, respecting its ability to evolve naturally over time.

This year, our 23rd, was again distinctive and it was a late start for us and was a longer vintage. Starting on March the 15th the weather stayed very settled through the vintage period and allowed us to pick as we like until we finished on April 18th. Smaller crops always helps and after a warm period after Christmas the temperatures cooled down to ‘average’ and it served to maintain fruit flavours while ripening the fruit. A great team from seven nations worked so well together, and we are super happy with the eventual wines.

The fruit for this wine comes from a small parcel in the Byrne vineyard, located in the Conder’s Bend area of Marlborough. The vines are managed organically and are planted on gravels that would have once been a riverbed. The stony soils provide both drainage and heat retention which are essential for this cooler site. The grapes were hand-picked, whole-cluster pressed and taken straight to French barriques without any chemical additions. It was fermented with indigenous yeast in the barrels, helping to add complexity and texture, without dominating the nose. The wine was left on yeast lees for fifteen months, which were stirred regularly. This meant that the yeast added both savoury notes and served to work as a natural fining agent. After time in barrique it was gently racked then bottled without fining.