Harvest

Three lots hand harvested from two Waipara vineyards between 31st March and 6th April, 2009. Whole cluster pressed straight to used barrels and a tank.

• Brix: 22 – 25

• TA: 7.2 – 8.5 g/l

• pH: 3.25 – 3.27   

Cellar & Bottling

Fermented by native yeasts. The barrel fermented component was aged on yeast lees for six months before racking and blending.

Bottled: October 5th and 19th    

• RS: 4.6 g/l

• TA:  6.6 g/l

• pH: 3.30

• Alcohol: 13.5%

Wine

Grassy Marlborough Savvy isn’t really our thing at Muddy Water so we have sourced Sauvignon from two very good growers in Waipara and fermented it all in old barrels with wild yeast. Both vineyards are young but very well managed and we look forward to producing wonderful Waipara Sauvignon Blanc for many years.

Growers’ Series: With the 2008 vintage we introduced a new series of wines. Muddy Water Growers Series will be used for grapes not grown on our estate vineyards which are currently undergoing transition to organic certification.

To ensure quality and uniformity this wine is a single lot sealed with a screw cap. Do not expect or accept any bottle variation. We regard bottle variation as an unacceptable “thing of the past”.

Bottling Note: We bottled 2 pallets (1008L) at a contract facility in Amberley on October 15th. This was all exported to Ireland. The remainder, all the same wine from the same tank, was bottled at Muddy Water on October 19th, 2009. It is very unusual for us to do this – but the Irish needed their Muddy Water Sauvignon Blanc for Christmas!

" Hand-harvested at two sites at Waipara, the 2009 vintage was fermented with indigenous yeasts.  Two-thirds of the blend was fermented and lees-aged for six months in old barrels;  the rest was handled in tanks.  It's a tightly structured, concentrated wine with punchy, ripe passionfruit/lime flavours, gently seasoned with toasty oak, fresh, balanced acidity and a basically dry (4.6 grams/litre of residual sugar) finish.  It's a complex style, worth cellaring."  ****

Michael Cooper's Buyer's Guide to New Zealand Wines, 2011

"Grapes were sourced from two distinctly different vineyards. One on gravely river terraces and the other on clay downs. The fruit was hand-harvested, whole-bunch pressed and fermented using indigenous yeasts in oak barrels then matured on lees for six months. A beautifully elegant nose exhibiting lime, fresh herb and chalky mineral notes. The palate is concentrated and tightly structured with fine texture and crisp acidity. There’s a touch of savoury characters adding to this youthful yet complex wine. Not your usual flavour-packed Sauvignon, but a rather restrained one still providing rich mouthfeel and subtle power."

Sam Kim, Senior Wine Judge, Wine Orbit