2023 Little Dreamer - Sauvignon
My first major job in the wine industry was for a large corporate. I mentioned to the winemakers how it would be interesting to try some skin contact and barrel fermentation on our Sauvignon blanc. I was laughed out of the room.
As a junior winemaker I felt a little despondent, but I’ve always lent towards the creative, artistic side of wine, constantly dreaming about style and texture.
So, I held onto these thoughts and ideas, morphing them with experience and time.
Coming back to Te Matau a Māui gave me the opportunity to work with New Zealand Sauvignon again, so I had to play around with these techniques to make a complex yet pure wine.
Grass, green apple, chamomile, pink grapefruit and lime zest are followed by flint and mineral like flavours. A pure, crystalline and textural palate, the barrel ferment has added great complexity and length. This wine is dry and crisp with a crunchy, popping acid line.
Only 1752 bottles produced.
Details
Taratahi - Wairarapa
The sustainably farmed Manuka Flats Vineyard lies beneath the Tararua Ranges just north of Greytown. These Taratahi plains are ancient riverbeds formed as the Waingawa river flowed to the sea. The terraced soils consist of a free draining stony silt loam, which coupled with a perfectly cool climate delivers amazing fresh flavours.
Season
La Nina dominated the 2023 growing season, creating volatile weather patterns, and a cool Spring and Summer period that never saw a day over 30 degrees. Late January and early February experienced some extremely wet periods culminating in cyclone Gabrielle. We were lucky that most of our vineyards escaped the worst and the vineyard guys were right on their game.
A somewhat Indian summer followed, which eased the pressure and allowed our fruit to ripen perfectly and slowly with fine and restrained flavours.
Winemaking
Sauvignon – 100%
Fruit was harvested into bins in the cool of the morning and immediately destemmed. The fruit stayed here for 24 hours to develop texture and phenolic from the skin contact, before being pressed off to tank for settling.
The following day, the juice was lightly racked off the heavy solids, directly to three old French oak puncheons (500L). Wild fermentation kicked off almost immediately and progressed at warm temperatures for approximately 12 days. Partial malolactic fermentation may have occurred at this stage.
For the next six weeks lees stirring was conducted every week to develop mid palate weight and texture. It was then allowed to mature and settle at low temperatures for the next 2 months.
The barrels were then racked and blended to finish ageing in tank together. No fining or filtration. Minimal sulphur was added a month before bottling.
Alc - 12.0%
Cut grass, green apple, chamomile, pink grapefruit and lime zest are followed by flint and mineral like flavours.
A pure, crystalline and textural palate, the barrel ferment has added great complexity and length.
This wine is dry and crisp with a crunchy, popping acid line.