Aotea Nelson Sauvignon Blanc 2021

Gold - Berliner Wein Trophy, Summer Tasting, 2021, Germany
Gold - Mundus Vini Summer Tasting 2021, Germany
95 Points - Cameron Douglas MS, World of Wine, Summer 2022
95 Points (5 Stars) - Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, July 2021, New Zealand
4.5 Stars - Michael Cooper's Wine Buyers Guide 2022, New Zealand

Vineyard: Seifried Brightwater and Rabbit Island vineyards
Sugar at Harvest: 21.6°Brix
Date of Harvest: Late March 2021
pH of Wine: 3.20
T.A of Wine: 7.4g/L
Residual Sugar: 5g/L
Suitable for Vegetarians and Vegans: Yes

Our Brightwater vineyard lies about 15 km from the sea (10 km from the winery) and is nestled under the Richmond Ranges on the southern end of the Waimea Plains. The temperature at this site fluctuates more than any of our other vineyards due to its distance from the coastline. The vineyard is exceptionally stony with free-draining soils, which is very hard on farm equipment. The large stones, however, are vital for holding the warmth of the Nelson sun and for ripening grapes. Lively fruit characters are evident in fruit harvested from this block.

Our Rabbit Island vineyard is situated on a wide river flat. The soil is gravelly sandy loam which is very free-draining. This vineyard is about 1.5 km from the sea which helps moderate temperatures.

Aromatic and fresh Sauvignon Blanc flavours were encouraged prior to vintage through careful canopy management. The fruit was de-stemmed and pressed immediately after harvest and a cool fermentation was initiated in stainless steel tanks to retain the clean, fresh aromatic fruit characters.