A musky fusion of sweet scented fruits - nectarines, peaches and nashi pears with a dash of orange zest - intermingled with a floral perfume reminiscent of star jasmine and citrus blossom. A generous palate with citrus and cassis flavours, deliciously ripe and succulent, finishing with that classic Marlborough zing. Fruit was sourced from various prime vineyard sites in Marlborough’s Southern Valleys and the central Wairau Plains, specifically in Woodbourne, Renwick and Rapaura. Soil types vary from the young alluvial soils of Rapaura and Renwick, which contain high proportions of New Zealand’s ubiquitous greywacke river stones, to the older and denser clay-loams of the Southern Valleys. The majority of the vineyards were trained using the divided Scott Henry canopy management system, with the balance on a two- or three-cane VSP (vertical shoot positioning) trellis. Sauvignon blanc was harvested largely by machine during the cool (often cold) night-time conditions. Fruit was harvested directly into half-tonne bins, which were tipped directly into a tank press. The grapes were pressed relatively lightly and the resulting juice was cold-settled prior to fermentation. The juice was fermented in stainless steel tanks, primarily using cultured yeast with a cool, slow fermentation. A portion was allowed to undergo spontaneous indigenous yeast fermentation using slightly warmer fermentation regimes. All individual vineyard batches were left on lees and kept separate until late July, when the blend was assembled.