Tasting Notes
Auntsfield Estate was bought by the Cowley family in the early 1990s when it was still an unplanted cattle farm. However when they researched the property they discovered it had actually produced wine from 1873 through to 1925 which made it the first commercial winery in Marlborough planted some 100 years before anywhere else. They planted blocks of the property with Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir taking real care to select the best plots for each. They now have around 40 hectares planted on fantastic terroir which gives the wine a fine minerality with wonderful texture and definition.
Auntsfield Estate states that its aim is "to produce a distinctive style of Sauvignon Blanc. The style is aimed towards texture, complexity and length, balancing the typical Marlborough fruit spectrum and aromatics with richness and mouth feel." and once again it has achieved its aim. This is a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc but with extra complexity and minerality than most others. The pungency bursts out of the bottle, intense fruit aromas of passionfruit, gooseberry and canteloupe melon with hints of lime and nectarine.
The aromas are replicated in the flavours - it is leaning towards tropical fruits but they are not at all overripe fruits, much more subtle and the long finish is predominantly gooseberries and lime. The wine has good acidity and will develop further in the next two to three years. It also has a lovely, really rounded mouthfeel.
Food Pairing
Recommended with fish, shellfish, chicken, pork and roast ham. It will stand up to richer dishes better than some other white wines.
Producer's Notes
"COLOUR: Pale straw
AROMA: Intense and pure aromas of fresh passionfruit, ripe melon and lime. Notes of dried herbs, lemongrass, mandarin and blackcurrant add pungency and intensity to the aromatics.
PALATE: Powerful, tight and elegant. This wine displays intense ripe fruit flavours of passionfruit and white peach, with citrus notes of lime and mandarin pith. The palate has intense concentration and generous weight, balanced by an underlying minerality and tight structure to shape a wine with lively tension and textural balance."
Awards
94 points & one of Decanter's top 20 NZ Sauvignon Blanc 2020s to buy Apr 2021
"Layered complex nose of tropical fruits and flowers, sweet lemon and apple, fresh basil then a delicate gooseberry note. Equally complex on the palate with youthful tension from the acidity and a leesy texture accentuated by the herbaceousness and ripe fruit. A delicious and serious wine."
Auntsfield is one of Decanter magazine's top five New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc producers to try Oct 2019
