Sauvignon Blanc

 

Origin: Sauvignon Blanc is the wine of the Loire Valley in France and wines characteristic of this area are Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé Blanc.  Both styles are dry and the final flavour profile reflects the growing season, the soil type and structure.  It is also found in the Graves and Sauterne area of the Bordeaux.  Here it is combined with Semillon to produce sauternes that are sweet in finish.

In New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc made up 60% of the national vineyard crop in 2008.  Of this 169,000 tonnes, 91% is from the renowned soils of Marlborough, where recent years have seen a significant increase in annual new plantings to attempt to satisfy world demand for the much vaunted product.

Vicarage Lane Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2010

 

Harvest: Machine harvested in mid April 2010.

Viticulture Notes: Produced by acclaimed New Zealand winemaker Alan McCorkindale using carefully selected parcels of fruit from Vicarage Lane’s own vineyard and from those managed by the company to produce wine most redolent of the Marlborough tradition.

Winemaking: Fermented in stainless steel tanks at a temperature of 10°C to maximise primary fruit aroma and flavour.  Different yeast strains were used for the different batches.

Bottled: From September 10

Released: September 10

Wine Analysis:

Total Alcohol     12.6%v/v
Titratable Acid   7.8 g/L
Total Sugar       1.7 g/L

Tasting Notes: The colour is an almost clear pale straw.  An intense nose of passionfruit and ripe pear, with hints of dried oregano and hawthorn. The palate is focused and linear, dry with crisp acidity and a very long finish.

Food Matches: Serve chilled on its own, or match with fish or poultry served with fresh vegetables, creamy pasta sauces, or try it with pasta tossed with pesto and asparagus.

Vicarage Lane Canterbury Riesling 2008

Origin: Riesling is a grape of German origin from the Rhine Valley.  It grows readily in New Zealand and is becoming increasingly popular. It is often made in an 'off dry' style where the primary fruit characteristics are retained.

When Riesling is enjoyed young it provides fresh, lively wines which are great as an aperitif, then as time goes on the wine has a wonderful ability open up and develop, offering a wider spectrum of delightful and interesting flavours.

Harvest: The grapes for this Riesling were grown on the limestone based hillsides at Waipara, in the north of the Canterbury province in New Zealand’s South Island.

The crop was machine harvested and then transported to Christchurch for winemaking by renowned New Zealand winemaker Alan McCorkindale. After gentle pressing the resulting juice underwent fermentation in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks.
 
Released: October 08

Bottled: From October 08

Wine Analysis:

Total Alcohol     11.6%v/v
Titratable Acid   6.4 g/L
Total Sugar        15.1 g/L

Tasting Notes:  This wine displays intense aromas of fresh Valencia oranges, marmalade, lemon zest and summer flowers, typical of fruit from Canterbury’s Waipara vineyards.  A delicious, balanced, off dry wine with a little sugar and concentrated citrus fruit   flavours with a touch of honey.

Food Matches: An excellent accompaniment to chicken, seafood or pork dishes, or as an appealing aperitif.