Loveblock Sauvignon Gris 2014

Loveblock Sauvignon Gris is a pale yellow colour with golden touches. Delicate aromas of peach and juicy citrus waft from the glass, with underscores of passionfruit and a hint of oak. An elegant and restrained palate combining peach and lemon citrus flavours with a lingering minerality and just a hint of yeasty notes.

100% Sauvignon Gris. Sauvignon Gris is an obscure grape with a pink hue to its thick skins. The variety is thought to be a mutation of Sauvignon Blanc that came close to being extinct following the phylloxera epidemic. The grape was almost nonexistent until it was rediscovered by Jacky Preys, a grower and winemaker from the Loire Valley. Not many vineyards from any country use Sauvignon Gris and even fewer producers make wine from 100% Sauvignon Gris.

The grapes for this wine come entirely from Loveblock's family-owned Farm in the Lower Awatere sub-region of Marlborough. The elevation and windy location here challenges the vines. The soil composition has a layer of top soil over a tight clay that the vines can’t penetrate. The vineyard is very exposed and the vines struggle with the wind, producing very small berries with intense aromas and flavours.

Due to the very small crop, 3 tonnes total, the grape juice goes through barrel fermentation in old French oak. The wine receives a similar treatment to Chardonnay after primary fermentation, wherein it undergoes full malolactic fermentation on gross lees with stirring every two weeks. The wine stabilises and goes through bottle ageing before its release.