Waipara West Sauvignon Blanc 2023

Vineyard

North Canterbury’s warm start to the 2022 vintage was welcomes after challenging frost events of 2021. Bud burst was reasonably early in late September. This was followed by frequent rain events up to flowering, which raised disease pressure throughout the district. this weather also resulted in a patchy flowering, and this set a smaller crop for the 2022 harvest.
The warm start was tempered by cool weather in the new year as growing degree days dropped significantly to the long-term average. this cool weather dragged out the ripening process but allowed for extra vineyard work with increased canopy management and some crop thinning to ensure the fruit had minimal damage from disease and the crop load could be ripened.
Settled weather during harvest allowed for very careful picking decisions, and the resulting wines are true to site and season.

Winemaking

All fruit is estate-grown organically. We are looking for a combination of ripe flavours, bold acidity, and satisfying texture. we picked the fruit from each of our three terraces individually and they remain separate for all the vinification.
66% of the final wine is vinified in stainless steel tanks, to preserve the crisp fruit profile and to protect the distinctive thiols of our Sauvignon Blanc. The remaining 33% of the wine is fermented with high solids, with wild yeast in old French oak. This brings in the complexity of texture and minerality to the final wine.
After three months maceration on lees, all components were blended and stabilised in early spring.