Aotea Nelson Sauvignon Blanc 2026

95 Points (5 Stars) – Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, August 2026
93 Points – Cameron Douglas MS, September 2026
Silver (92 Points) – The New Zealand International Wine Show 2026

Vineyard: Seifried Appleby vineyard
Date of Harvest: Mid-late March 2026
pH of Wine: 3.10
T.A of Wine: 8.0g/L
Residual Sugar of Wine: 4g/L
Alcohol: 12.5%
Suitable for Vegetarian and Vegans: Yes

Our Appleby vineyard is situated on a wide river flat, about 1.5km from the sea, which helps moderate temperatures. The soil is gravelly sandy loam, which marks the sites of Māori kūmara (sweet potato) beds prior to European settlement in the early 1800s. The Māori transferred and spread fine gravel and sand over the land to provide suitable soils for their kūmara plantings. Scrub was burned to give ash and charcoal, which increased soil fertility and characteristic topsoil. This fertility is now considerably reduced due to modern farming. The soils are, however, very sandy and free-draining. The water table is relatively high, ensuring adequate underground water.

Fresh, aromatic 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 aromatic fruit characters.