Blank Canvas Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2020

Blank Canvas Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2020Dry style Passionfruit & guava Green capsicum Mouth watering acidity "From the well drained fertile soils of Dillons Point. Rich, concentrated sauvignon blanc with green capsicum, passionfruit, subtle box hedge flavours and a pleasing saline mineral character. Good purity and mouth watering, fruity acidity" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, Oct 2020 "Full bodied Sauvignon that fills the mouth with an array of fresh fruit flavors, from

• Dry style
• Passionfruit & guava
• Green capsicum
• Mouth-watering acidity

"From the well-drained fertile soils of Dillons Point. Rich, concentrated sauvignon blanc with green capsicum, passionfruit, subtle box hedge flavours and a pleasing saline-mineral character. Good purity and mouth-watering, fruity acidity" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, Oct 2020

"Full-bodied Sauvignon that fills the mouth with an array of fresh fruit flavors, from Braeburn apples and lemon to pineapple and green capsicum. There's good substance here, giving you something to get your teeth into while the acidity creates an energy almost like a headlight's full beam turned on in your mouth. Bloody good" Rebecca Gibb, Master of Wine, Vinous Media

"Very attractive nectarine, peach, lime and passion-fruit aromas with some blackcurrant. The palate has an intense, composed feel with quite taut, tropical-fruit and pithy-citrus flavors" Nick Stock, Jamessuckling.com, Nov 2020

This single vineyard rendition of Sauvignon Blanc is sourced from Holdaway Family vineyard at Dillons Point - the winemakers favourite subregion for the variety. It is a classic expression of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, being 100% tank fermented, but it offers complexity of texture and a mineral drive that summons river stones and sea spray. Blackcurrant, guava and passionfruit are captured alongside the subtlest hint of oyster-shell. This wine is focused and explosive on both nose and palate yet remains elegantly and distinctly salty.

The vinatge to go down in the history books as one of the easiest and exciting from a fruit perspective, but one of the most challenging  and stressful because of the Covid-19 pandemic and nationwide lockdown. Sauvignon Blanc in Dillons Point had an excellent flowering and a long, favourable ripening period, so those who managed the yield appropriately obtained exemplary fruit quality. The long hang-time and healthy canopies meant an abundance of intense passionfruit and blackcurrant characters alongside the trademark Dillons Point saltiness.

The Holdaway vineyard is in Dillons Point suberegion located on the coasta fringe of the Wairau Valey. The vineyard is owned by the Holdaway family who have been farming in Marlborough for generations and is currently run by Alan and Janette, their sons Richard, Robbie and their wives. They practice sustainable viticulture and regenerative agriculture; creating and applying their own compost and growing impressive inter-row mixed species plantings to maintain all-important organic matter in the soil. The alluvial silty soils are fertile and deep but are well-drained, with plenty of mineral nutrients, whic is perfect for nutrient-hungry Sauvignon Blanc. The vineyard is VSP-trained and cane-pruned.

The grapes were harvested during the nationwide lockdown. Grapes were machine harvested by the Holdaway family in the cool of the night to ensure no harsh phenolics were extracted and acidity was preserved. The grapes were crushed and gently pressed in a pneumatic press to avoid skin contact with the juice transferred directly into one small tank. The must was settled naturally and fermented in stainless steel at cool temperatures. Post-fermentation it was left on light lees for several months to increase textural complexity. It was gently crossflow filtered prior to bottling on the 14th July 2020.