Kelly Washington Sauvignon Blanc 2017

Coming from an elevated hillside site in the Southern Valleys region of Marlborough our Sauvignon Blanc is textured, structured, and a style that is markedly atypical of the region.

The vineyard is very unique for Marlborough, postioned high up from the valley floor, and is farmed Organicly and Bio-dynamically on clay-loess soils. The vines are closely planted, so the bunches are small and skins thick. Roughly 30% of the wine has been fermented and aged in old barrels, all by naturally occuring yeasts.

A 15 year old dry farmed organic vineyard, located in the Waihopi valley, part of the Southern Valleys region of Marlborough. Soils are loess over clay sub soil.

Grapes were hand harvested and whole bunch pressed. A portion fermented in a small stainless steel tank ( 70%) and the balance ( 30%) fermented in, largely, old neutral barrels. One new French oak barrel was also filled – medium toast, Allier forest (represented 3 % of the total blend).

The wine spent 10 months on full lees, in tank and barrel. The barrels were stirred monthly before being bottled unfined, but with a coarse filtration.