Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc 2023
(Marlborough, New Zealand) - [WS 90, #41 Top 100 of 2024]
Regular price $25.00 Sale price $17.97 Save $7.03
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About the Winery:
During the 1990’s Greg and Sue White decided to make a radical lifestyle change, shedding their corporate business suits to set sail on a 48-foot yacht named Chanticleer. Sheltering from the Pacific hurricane season in the beautiful waters of the Marlborough Sounds, they were inspired by the beauty of the region. The couple decided a Marlborough winery was the sort of project to see them return to dry land, so in 1994 they established Whitehaven – named for the importance of family, and memorializing the calm port ‘haven’ they’d found while anchoring in Marlborough. (The distinctive anchor insignia seen on the Whitehaven label forever connects Whitehaven to its nautical beginnings.)
About this Wine:
The fruit for this wine comes exclusively from Marlborough and is certified with Appellation Marlborough Wine (AMW). A mix of company owned or managed vineyards, and contract grower vineyards, vines are pruned to between two and four canes on a vertical shoot positioned trellis. Shoot thinning, leaf plucking and trimming are used to achieve balanced vines, a healthy canopy and clean fruit.
The fruit was machine harvested, often overnight, and pressed immediately with minimal skin contact. After settling, the clear juice was fermented in stainless steel tanks at 16°C – 12°C with selected yeast strains to preserve pure sub regional characters and varietal flavours. Wines sat on light yeast lees in tank for up to 6 weeks prior to blending in June 23. The wine has been heat and cold stabilised, and sterile filtered, prior to bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Color: Pale lemon.
Aroma: Classical Marlborough with aromas of grapefruit, lemongrass and crushed herbs underscored with complexing hints of tropical fruits and gooseberry.
Palate: Pure and concentrated with flavours of grapefruit, white peach, lemongrass and boxwood and citrus with oyster shell and saline notes promoting a focussed textural element. Medium bodied, the palate is layered and dense yet retains elegance with a lingering precise finish.
Cellaring: We recommend drinking our 2023 Sauvignon Blanc while it is young and fresh, but the wine is capable of developing nicely beyond five years if carefully cellared.
Food Match: A perfect accompaniment to oysters and fresh seafood, Japanese cuisine, summer salads, light poultry and goat’s cheese.
Alcohol: 13.0%
Ratings & Reviews
90 Points, #41 Top 100 Of 2024 - Wine Spectator:
"White pepper, lemon blossom and fresh ginger notes are vibrant and expressive, with a mouthwatering core of lime, pomelo, lemon balm and lemongrass lingering on the finish. Drink now. 919,000 cases made, 919,000 cases imported." - MW (Oct 2024)
Vinous Media:
"The 2023 Sauvignon Blanc is pure, clean and aromatic. Dry and zesty, it provides pristine fruit flavors akin to lime, lemongrass and passion fruit. Light-bodied with modest concentration of flavor and fleeting length, it's nevertheless a balanced, punchy style that will be widely enjoyed by the glass in the summer months." - Rebecca Gibb MW (Apr 2024)