NAME OF WINE: Sauvignon Blanc

NAME OF ESTATE/DOMAINE: Te Whare Ra

VINTAGE: 2017

ABV: 13%

NAME OF VIGNERON: Anna and Jason Flowerday

LOCATION (village and region): Renwick, Marlborough

GRAPE/BLEND: 100% Sauvignon Blanc (73% Awatere Valley, 27% Te Whare Ra vineyard)

SUSTAINABLE/ORGANIC/BIODYNAMIC: Blended from two vineyards which are sustainably certified and one which is certified organic

CERTIFICATION: SWNZ (Awatere) & Biogro (Te Whare Ra)
SUITABLE FOR VEGETARIANS/VEGANS: Suitable for vegetarians and vegans
ALLERGENS (EGGS AND/OR MILK): Neither used

TASTING NOTE: Aromas of guava, white currant and elderflower coupled with lovely ripe tropical and hints of basil and lime which follow through to the palate which is fine and soft with vibrant fleshy fruit and great texture which are both balanced by a ripe, juicy acidity and lingering minerality

(LOCAL) FOOD RECOMMENDATION: Seafood

SHORT HISTORY: Te Whare Ra (‘The House in the Sun’ in Maori) is a family run winery located in the Marlborough sub-region of Renwick. Anna & Jason Flowerday bought the property in 2003, wanting somewhere that was small enough for the two of them, but special enough to allow them to really make their mark. The 11 hectares is planted with seven different varietals, with the oldest plantings dating back to 1979.

(MICRO)CLIMATE: Grapes for the Sauvignon come from two Marlborough vineyards in two different sub-regions; Awatere Valley which is characterised by cooler temperatures and the Te Whare Ra home block in the Wairau Valley which experiences warmer days and a larger diurnal range.

TERROIR: The Sauvignon Blanc from the home block is planted on the biggest clay % they have and the growers block (Awatere Valley) is on a loam/clay mix which is a loess derived silt loam with clay 25-35%.

VITICULTURE: yields are kept low and vineyard management is a combination of organic and biodynamic practices. Anna and Jason firmly believe that biodiversity is the key to maintaining a good vineyard using inter-row planting and crop alternate rows. To combat pests they use natural methods such as buckwheat, and fertilise using their own compost and manure.

VINIFICATION:

•   Awatere fruit was select machine picked, the Wairau grapes are manual harvested and hand sorted

•   Free run and soft pressing parcels combined for fermentation

•   Slow cool fermentation in a number of different stainless steel tanks with 12% fermented at warmer

  temps in older French demi-muids

•   All parcels spend time on their lees post-ferment

•   No fining

TECHNICAL:
Total S02: 89ppm Acidity: 7.4g/L Residual Sugar: 0.8g/L pH: 3.30