Grape Varieties
100% Sauvignon Blanc
Winery
Based in the Awatere to the south east of Marlborough’s Wairau Plains, Yealands Estate encompasses 1,000 hectares of viticultural land (with 500 hectares currently under vine) in the rolling downs of the Awatere Valley, with smaller vineyard blocks near Blenheim. Yealands Estate is the largest vineyard in private ownership in New Zealand and founder Peter Yealands is renowned for his innovative vineyard management techniques and technologies. The winery is Carbon Neutral and the first to be built entirely under the New Zealand Green Building Council's accreditation programme, while the vineyard is sustainably managed. This approach in both the winery and the vineyard is rare in such a large operation.
Winemaker
Tamra Washington
Viticulture
The wine for Yealands Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2009 is produced from two blocks on Seaview Vineyard. The Seaview Vineyard is exposed to some of the toughest growing conditions in Marlborough; high sunshine and wind, cool nights and low rainfall which produces a smaller, thicker skinned berry with intense fruit flavours. The rolling contours of the vineyard result in significant variation (smaller, more intensely flavoured fruit on the ridges, balanced by lush growth in the gullies). This wine is composed of two small batches, one planted closer to the coast and the other at higher altitude and more inland.
Winemaking & Maturation
The two most distinctive batches from the Seaview Vineyard were harvested and fermented separately, using selected yeast strains for sauvignon blanc to enhance varietal character. The parcels then underwent a long, cool four week fermentation prior to being blended, stabilised and bottled.
Tasting Note
The 2009 Yealands Estate Sauvignon Blanc wine shows lifted tropical notes of passionfruit and guava balanced by blackcurrant bud and wet stone characters. The palate is typical of the Seaview Vineyard - full with sufficient weight and underlying flinty minerality followed by a long, dry and crisp finish.
