This Sauvignon Blanc is pale straw with lemon hues. Lifted aromas of passion fruit and guava dominate the nose, along with notes of citrus and crushed herbs and an underlying wet stone minerality. The wine has vibrant acidity, with plenty of palate weight and length. Ripe, tropical fruit flavours of passion fruit, melon and grapefruit linger on the persistent finish.
Kim Crawford have access to one of the widest selections of Marlborough vineyards for blending their distinctive, award-winning Sauvignon Blanc. 250 wines from all over Marlborough are tasted before the blend is selected. In 2021, key parcels in the final blend came from six vineyards in the Wairau Valley, the Awatere Valley and the Southern Valley, all of which delivered outstanding fruit with unique flavour profiles. Soils are predominately alluvial silts and clay.
In 2022, Marlborough saw significant rain in winter through to late spring. December and January continued warm and excellent vineyard growth was experienced across the region when ex-tropical cyclone Dovi dropped 160 mm of rain over the first three weekends of February. Fortunately, this coincided with cooler temperatures and southerly breezes, minimising disease pressure. Harvest started in early March.
Upon arrival at the winery the fruit was crushed and pressed. Fermentation was cool and slow, with a variety of selected yeast chosen to express the natural characters of the Sauvignon Blanc. All parcels were fermented and held in stainless-steel tanks until bottling.
Kim Crawford Wines was established in late 1996, when Kim launched a range made from fruit grown in the South Island. Kim sold the company to Constellation in 2005 and has since handed the winemaking reins over to the Constellation winemaking team. Despite Kim no longer being involved with these wines, the current winemakers continue the classic Kim Crawford philosophy and style. Control over grape supply has always been essential for Kim Crawford Wines and they now have the largest vineyard resource in Marlborough of any wine company, across the greatest breadth of sub-regions, ensuring consistent quality and style. For that consistency, and success over the past 20 years, Wine Enthusiast magazine USA recognised Kim Crawford as their “New World Winery of the Year 2016”.