Vineyard Notes

The grapes for this wine are from our certified-organic Woolshed vineyard on Loveblock Farm, in the Lower Dashwood sub-region of Marborough’s Awatere Valley. The soil type is predominately aged alluvial loams containing some silt loam over stone. Dependent on vigour, the vines are pruned to two, three or four canes and trained in a normal vertical shoot position. Ideal flowering conditions, followed by a warm dry summer, meant that the grapes were picked in perfect condition. As vine vigour determines the crop load, the yield was an average of 9 tonnes per hectare. Harvest occurred in early April. No sulphur or ascorbic acid were used in the vineyard as per organic winemaking practices.

Vinification

Harvested in the cool Marlborough mornings (35 percent by hand and 65 percent by machine), the fruit for this wine was batch produced in small amounts with soil variation within the vineyard determining the batch size. The handpicked portion was fermented separately in alternate vessels – a concrete egg, two amphorae and neutral old French oak barrels – on wild yeast. The concrete egg and amphorae portions were pressed and settled for a few hours, then racked to vessel where primary and secondary fermentation occurred spontaneously. The barrel portion went straight from press to barrel where it fermented on wild yeast and underwent malolactic fermentation. The machine harvested portion went straight to stainless tanks from press where 25 percent underwent full malolactic fermentation to reduce acidity. Post fermentation, only the best parcels were selected for the final Loveblock blend.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Pale straw with a hint of green and gold.

Aroma: Complex and elegant Sauvignon Blanc bouquet, with pineapple, guava and sweet meadow grass aromas.

Palate: Rounded and textured, with pineapple, tropical fruit and a sweet basil edge followed by ripe peach on the back palate. A chalky minerality and complexity complements the fruit.

Food match: Oysters, seafood, pasta and chicken.

Organic status: Certified organic – BioGro #5266.

Vegan status: Vegan friendly

Cellar: Drink now and through 2025.

Leeuwin Estate, Art Series Chardonnay 2021

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