CRITIC REVIEWS
Rebecca Gibb MW
Initially the 2023 Sauvignon Blanc needs a few moments to get itself together – much like we all do after waking up from our slumber. It wears a rather reductive overcoat, but under that flintiness you find concentrated, pure fruit flavors. It’s light in body but dense in concentration thanks to low yields, displaying both focus and punch. It's almost silvery in color and restrained thanks to hand-picking, leading to pure grapefruit and passion fruit flavors alongside a hint of nectarine. The finish is long, precise and sinewy.
JancisRobinson.com
Full screwcapped bottle 1,305 g. From the tricky, cloudy, cyclone-affected vintage 2023 when I was in New Zealand. Sourced from eight of their own vineyards within the Wairau Valley. Cropped at an average of 10 tonnes/hectare. The fruit was whole-bunch pressed, cold-settled before fermentation and was aged four months in tank. A portion of the wine was fermented using indigenous yeast. Bottled without fining. Smoky, green-veg nose. Just a little less exuberantly fruity than some other vintages. The wine finishes a little more suddenly than I would have expected but it's a creditable effort in a challenging year. (JR)

