Sauvignon Blanc, Isabel Estate 2022

A pure tropical fruit nose of passionfruit and gooseberry gives way to nuances of blackcurrant, grapefruit and underlying flinty aromas. The palate is concentrated and enticing, coupled with the classic Isabel “Old Vine” mineral tones, making this wine refreshing and traditional in style. A creamy mid palate and balanced acidity gives the wine weight and length, and makes it a great accompaniment to freshly caught fish or mussels.

The 2020/21 growing season was another warm one with minimal rainfall from December through until harvest. Early season frosts resulted in lower than average yields and an earlier start to harvest than we normally experience. The Estate saw average Sauvignon Blanc yields of 10 tonnes/hectare. Fruit quality was exceptional, showing concentration and ripe acidity and with no rain picking decisions were made easy, picking at optimal ripeness. All harvesting was carried out in the cool of the early morning to retain freshness and purity. Each block was picked and fermented separately to allow for a range of yeast strains to be used, giving greater options at blending. A short period of skin contact prior to pressing allowed for the extraction of as much flavour as possible from the grape skins before they are separated from the juice. After cold settling the juice was predominately fermented in stainless steel tanks, to retain freshness and purity, with 5% being fermented in 500L French oak barrels to add complexity and a textural mouth feel to the wine.