Just when Matt Thomson was researching the Delta Farm site for the planting of Pinot Noir in 2001-2002, Sheena his wife was selling her house in Dublin and searching for the ideal Sauvignon Blanc vineyard site. Matt, through his work with other Sauvignon Blanc producers, had found that the area around Dillon’s Point produced the most intense flavours. Together they found a 25 acre site and planted it exclusively to Sauvignon Blanc. Matt is confident that Marlborough’s ongoing development, as one of the leading wine producing regions in the world, will be to focus on planting varieties to match the soil and microclimate of individual sites.

Vineyard

The vineyard is planted to more or less North-South orientation and to row spacing of 2.8 m and plant spacing of 2.4m to allow for balanced plants when their root development is fully established. The sub region has slightly cooler nights in summer, even soils with high levels of available minerals, and incredible drainage due to the sand lying beneath the soil.

Vinification

The grapes were machine harvested during the night and very early morning at around 5° C. They were transported with haste to the winery where they were destemmed and pressed immediately to minimize skin contact. The racked juice was inoculated with yeast and fermented at 12° C for 3 weeks. The wine was racked, stabilized, filtered and bottled without fining.

Tasting Note

This wine has classic Marlborough pungency and varietal definition. There are aromas of white and blackcurrants and plenty of passion fruit. The palate is full, and finishes with fresh acidity and currant and mineral characters that linger for minutes. While it is a powerful wine, it also has elegance.