Country: New Zealand Region: Marlborough
Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2018 Colour: White Style: Dry
Producer: Framingham
Description:
Vineyards
Marlborough, at the top of New Zealand’s South Island, is one of the world’s premier cool climate viticultural regions. The area has relatively young riverbed soils that are generally stony, well drained and silty. A significant amount of work is done in the Estate vineyards that produce grapes for all of Framingham’s Rieslings. Extensive crop thinning and a degree of leaf plucking are practised when necessary, giving low yields of grapes that have had managed exposure to sunlight.
Vintage Information
Winter and spring of 2014 were somewhat drier than normal, and poor weather at flowering meant that low crop yields were set. The run up to harvest was warmer than average, but the riesling grapes' natural acid structure was retained. Favourable weather during harvest allowed for some hang time, developing flavour compounds in the fruit.
Vinification
Juices from hand-picked parcels were extracted at low pressures over a four hour period, and clarified by cold settling for 2-3 days before racking. Fermentation was conducted in stainless steel tanks with varying degrees of temperature control, and selected batches were stopped with some residual sugar remaining. The wines were left on gross lees for 2-3 months, with a further seven months on light lees, to add texture. A small component was aged in neutral wood vessels. A botrytis affected component, approximately 10% of the total volume, was incorporated in 2015. This is not usually possible in most vintages, as botrytised grapes are used in other wines. After blending, the wine was gently clarified and bottled under screwcap to preserve freshness, flavour and integrity.
Tasting Notes
This wine is an elegant pale gold in the glass, with hints of green. It has a fragrant, complex nose showing tangelo, honeysuckle, jasmine and quinine aromatics along with hints of apricot, beeswax, cream and some gentle nuances of wet stone.
