*** Decanter Magazine NZ Sauv Blanc Tasting August 2017 - 1 of only 2 wines listed as Exceptional with 98/100 points ***
Country: New Zealand Region: Marlborough
Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc Vintage: 2024
Colour: White Style: Dry
Producer: Tinpot Hut Estate
Description:
Tinpot Hut wines are made primarily from fruit grown on winemaker Fiona Turner's vineyard in Blind River...
Fiona, who has worked with Matt Thomson for a number of years, supplements her own grapes with fruit from other growers in Marlborough and Hawkes Bay. The tinpot hut that gave its name to Fiona's wines is an old mustering hut in the remote hills between the Wairau and Awatere Valleys. The huts were used as a base for musterers as they rounded up the sheep that had been in the hills from spring to autumn. The name links Marlborough's past as a sheep farming centre with its current state as one of the world's most dynamic wine regions.
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Vineyards
Around 40% of the fruit for this wine is sourced from specially selected vineyards in the Blind River sub-region with the balance coming from the rich silty soils of Dillon's Point in the Lower Wairau. The Wairau fruit imparts ripe tropical flavours, whereas the fruit from the Awatere Valley has more of a mineral and crushed fresh herb character. This blending of flavours gives a balance between herbaceous and tropical. All vineyard parcels are kept separate in the winery prior to blending post fermentation.
Vintage information
The 2021 growing season was characterised by a dry spring and summer and a short, mild harvest. Lower yields due to cooler weather during flowering have produced wonderful fruit intensity.
Vinification
The fruit from each vineyard was independently monitored and harvested before being carefully pressed to ensure minimal skin contact preventing juice deterioration. Once settled, the batches were cool fermented in stainless steel tanks using specific