A Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough. There is a movement in Marlborough with producers seeking to showcase the different aspects of vineyards located throughout ‘Marlborough’ as a whole, and what that shows in the glass. This has led to some excellent sub-regional expressions of wines in the last few years – none more so than the Rohe (meaning ‘territory’ in te Reo Maori) series from Rapaura Springs. This, from Blind River.
I have also been ‘keeping back’ a few wines that have stood out to me on release. I buy an extra bottle, to re-taste after a few years in the cellar, as a project. This is one of those, from the wetter 2022 vintage – a wine I gave 93/100 on release. To be honest, it has been mixed results, but this one gives me renewed hope in the outcomes!
A more golden colour now than the silvery green of four years prior. The perfume is also developed, with an elegant subtlety where there was youthful energy. Melon, grapefruit, fennel, apple pie, lemon peel and green tea on the nose. A delicate balance between the zesty acidity, plush fruit and rounded texture in the palate. Now more of ‘a textural white’ than it is obviously varietal. I took the wine out and drank it at a local japanese restaurant, and it was a great foil to those fresh, zingy flavours. Still very clean on the finish, if a little less precise than in its youth. Different, but still 93pts
