2016 Hidden Barrel Sauvignon Blanc *
Tasting Note
Colour / Appearance:Mid-straw/deep lemon hue, with a bright clarity
Aroma / Bouquet:Ripe stone fruit, grapefruit, gunflint, wet stone notes and chamomile tea.
Palate:A full-bodied wine with crisp, clean acidity, a silky texture with riper fruit and gunflint flavours. The wine has a long persistent finish.
Cellaring:We recommend drinking our 2016 Hidden Barrel Sauvignon Blanc in the first 3 to 5 years after the vintage, but the wine has the structure and closure to allow continued development with careful cellaring.
Food Match:A food friendly wine, matched with dishes like barbecued pork and chicken, or simply with fresh shellfish.
Serve:Lightly chilled.
Wine Analysis
Alcohol:13.5
Residual Sugar:2.4
Titratable Acidity:6.8
pH:3.14
Viticulture
Climate:Conditions were very dry early in the season, with average temperatures, clear skies and a high risk of frost. Warm conditions over flowering in mid-December resulted in good yields. Decent rain in early and mid-January, allowed for healthy canopies and vigorous growth. February was hot and dry, followed by warm, dry March; perfect weather for intense flavour development.
Vine Management:Vines are trained to two or three canes on a vertical trellis. Balanced pruning, shoot thinning, tucking and trimming are used to achieve an open, healthy canopy and clean fruit.
Vinification
Winemaking:The fruit was hand-picked and crushed by foot. After pressing the juice had minimal additions, a coarse settling, and racked. A wild fermentation started after 1-2 days and the juice was transferred to old, French oak puncheons. The fermentation finished quickly, due to a high temperature. The wine was then allowed to age for 5 months on the yeast lees with minimal stirring and no malolactic fermentation. The wine was filtered before bottling, but had no fining.
Winemaker:Sam Smail