A wine that you might typically only get to taste at the Spy Valley Cellar Door in the Waihopai Valley in Marlborough. I got to try it at a presentation by their assistant winemaker – Alessandro Carraro – who made it as a personal project in his first full year at the winery. Using handpicked Sauvignon Blanc from young vines, the 600 kilos of fruit was de-stemmed into a small open top fermenter where it fermented on skins for about 2 weeks – effectively made like a red wine. Then pressed gently off, using a basket press, into ten year old oak barrels where it rested on fine lees for 5 months before blending.
A copper-straw colour in the glass. Crisp aromatics, with apricot, pineapple, apple, almond, orange rind and minty, sage and nettle green herbal notes. The palate has an oxidative tang of sweet and sour, white balsam flavour and is zesty and pithy. Spice is also there – ginger and nutmeg, layered through a creamy, smooth texture. Good acidity keeps the flow and carries into a softer finish. 90pts
