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Sauvignon Blanc 2018

The tasting notes

Sauvignon Blanc - Click to purchase

Domain Road has two vineyards in the heart of the historic gold mining area of Bannockburn.  Domain Road Vineyard covers most of the north-facing valley on the upper terraces above the Kawarau River with Defiance Vineyard on a gently sloping, north facing site on Felton Road.

Our Sauvignon Blanc vines are planted in three locations, on the top of Templers Hill, an area left untouched by 19th century gold miners, on Doctors Flat where mining has exposed mineral-rich clays from a 8-15 million year old lake bed and on a corner of Defiance with clay based soils. 

The wine 

The grapes were hand harvested between 9th & 16th March 2018 from Domain Road and Defiance vineyards. A portion of the fruit was whole bunch pressed and the rest was de-stemmed and crush to press.  The resulting juice was cold settled for two days before racking and inoculating with selected yeast. Slightly over half the juice was tank fermented with the balance undergoing barrel fermentation in French oak barriques (one new barrel).  The barrel portion was lees stirred weekly to help give the wine volume, roundness and complexity.

The colour of pale straw, our Sauvignon Blanc is dry in style, complex and mouth filling.  Aromas of gooseberries, nettle, melon, tropical fruit and citrus blossom are noticeable on the nose.  Balanced acidity ensures a crisp focused palate, with good minerality and flavours of sweet ripe passionfruit and citrus.  The finish is long and clean.   

Enjoy with seafood, white meats, salad dishes, or as an aperitif.

Download wine notes here

Variety 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Appellation Central Otago
Sub Region Bannockburn
Vineyards Domain Road and Defiance
Harvest Date  9th - 16th March 2018
Alcohol 13.5%
Residual Sugar 2.9g/L
pH 3.06
TA 7.05g/L

The Awards

 Michael Cooper: 

Cameron Douglas - 93 points "Fantastic attention grabbing bouquet then plush, ripe tropical fruits, sweet Meyer lemon and fresh herbs of basil and thyme.  Juicy and fleshy textures are enhanced by the elevated acidity leading to a silky texture and lengthy finish"

Wine Rater:  "Highly commended" 

Cuisine: " Interesting and inviting smoky clove note on the nose mixes with gentle forest greens, tropical fruits and white blossom notes giving a sense of early-summer evenings spent outdoors. Supremely elegant with a juicy palate holding everything together in balance and highlighting the wine's tension and texture". 

Mark Henderson (ODT review): "Excellent" "Fascinating nose of gooseberry, passionfruit and preserved lemon….a supple, creamy and complex palate with a dry yet juicy finish".