150 Church Road,
Taradale,
Hawke's Bay
New Zealand
Ph: +64 6 844 2053
Fax: +64 6 844 3378
info@churchroad.co.nz
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This distinctively different Sauvignon Blanc is a complex wine which is more refined and softer than a typical New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.
Crafted from Marlborough and Hawke's Bay fruit, this wine has characteristic grassy, herbaceous Sauvignon Blanc elements overlaid and softened with the tropical notes of Hawke's Bay fruit.
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Release Date: November 2001
Regions: Marlborough 71%, Hawke's Bay 29%
Variety: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
This wine is a complex style of Sauvignon Blanc.
Colour: Light yellow/green.
Aromas: Lifted and fresh tropical characteristics of ripe Sauvignon Blanc with subtle barrel-fermentation and yeast influences.
Palate: Elegant, ripe and lingering with a soft and balanced acidity.
This wine will reward careful cellaring for three to four years. A more complex and mealy style will develop over time.
Marlborough experienced a very hot, dry summer providing ideal slow ripening conditions for concentrated aromatic fruit.
The Hawke's Bay vintage was more challenging but the Sauvignon Blanc vineyards for this wine were unaffected by the frost and produced high quality fruit.
Low cropping levels in both Hawke's Bay and Marlborough ensured the fruit achieved optimum maturity and intensity of flavours.
Winemakers: Tony Prichard, Matthew Mitchell
Only free-run juice, with minimal skin contact, was used in this wine resulting in a soft and delicate juice structure for fermentation.
The juice was then fermented with a range of different yeasts, each contributing their own unique characteristics. The barrel-fermented components were allowed to remain on their yeast lees for several months after fermentation to impart subtle oak flavours, soften the palate and add complexity. Approximately 30% of this wine was fermented in predominantly older French barriques adding another dimension to this Sauvignon Blanc.
Over recent years, the Church Road winemaking team have continued to develop a style of increased complexity across our wines. An almost French influence is emerging which places greater emphasis on complexity and interest rather than relying simply on fruit and oak for their appeal.
Alcohol: 13.1% by volume
pH: 3.35
Total Acidity: 6.8 g/L
1997-2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006*
* currently available vintage(s)
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