(2023) This very pale and youthful wine has a modest 5.5g/l of residual sugar, coming from loam, gravel and clay soils with vines planted between 1979 and 2004. The vineyard is a mixed planting of aromatic varieties, dominated by Gewurztraminer, all co-fermented. It sits at only 60 metres altitude. The nose is very attractive with some sweet bon-bon notes, exotic fruit, peach down, and a touch of citrus peel. The palate has a rounded, sweet-edged and very approachable medium weight, creamy-rich but juicy into the finish with a fresh grapey crunch to the acidity.
(2023) Austria's Gru-V in the hands of the talented Jules Taylor, who vinified part of the blend cool in stainless steel, a second portion wild fermented in old French oak. It's aromatically vibrant, cut lime and a shimmer of sherbet over clean apple aromas. In the mouth it is a concentrated wine, quite powerful phenolics adding grippy texture, and plenty of pithy acid, quite slippery and saline in the food-friendly finish.
(2021) Organically certified, this is Kim Crawford's estate, and the wine is given a 'hands-off' treatment, fermentation stopped at 12.5% abv when the wine was in balance, leaving 5.2g/l or residual sugar. There's a touch of pinky-bronze to the colour here, and a confectionary nose, all icing sugar and raspbery ripple. In the mouth the sweetness pushes through, with a sense of coolness to this, Asian pear and lemon, though for me it lacks the charm of the Pegasus Bay Riesling.
(2021) The majority of the fruit comes from Estate vineyards, a proportion from growers in ohter sub-regions which Nautilus believes gives them a diversity of flavour profiles. Just 2% was barrel fermented. Fair bit of straw to the colour here, green capsicum, gooseberry and peach on the nose, then a dry palate - the driest tasting of the Sauvignon's so far - lots of sour lemon and grapefruit, that is the driving force though there is rosy apple juciness too. Good length and a grown-up style.
(2021) From Villa Maria's vineyards in the slightly warmer sub-region of the Wairau Valley, there's a lightly candied, toffeed note on the nose here and a nice depth of lightly smoky mango and lychee fruit. Some oily green bean and leafy green herb character in the background. On the palate a full, generous wine, abundant fruitin a ripe tropical spectrum, and cleansing lime and lemon acidity into the reasonably long finish.
(2021) Really nicely done this Marlborough Sauvignon, brightly packed with tropical fruits, enough elderflower and a wisp of cracked stone smokiness to add interest. In the mouth it has ripe, juicy and sweet nectarine, then a more direct and pithy grapefruit and lemon acid character picks up on the finish. Very tasty and stylish.
(2020) Good natural acidity because the vineyards for this wine are further up the valley, and one of the Chardonnay clones is a sparkling clone, with higher acidity. Loads of reduction here, all flint and struck match, perhaps a little bit too much? Some Brazil nut butteriness comes through, the palate showing really good fruit, stone fruit moving into pineapple and ripe melon, acidity is plentiful but not aggressive. No UK retail stockists listed at time of review.
(2020) Fermented in a mix of steel tanks and old barrels, malolactic fermentation was blocked as Nick believes it interferes with the aromatics too much. Stone fruits and yeasty too, a subtle but cool, dry and flavoursome style.
(2020) Less pronounced oak influence than the 2018, maybe just subsided with time in bottle, less creamy, but has a similar line of fruit and acidity on the palate, good length, a clean finish. Price and stockist is for a previous vintage at time of review.
