Auntsfield continues the proud heritage of Marlborough’s first vineyard and winery established in 1892.
Our Single Block wines display qualities distinctive to grapes grown within a defined area at Auntsfield Estate. Consistent quality and character over many vintages has separated these Single Blocks out as producing our Reserve Wines.
South Oaks Barrel Fermented Sauvignon Blanc – This small 2 hectare block is situated at the very southern elevated corner of the vineyard next to some old Oak trees. It has a unique free draining soil made up of crushed Greywacke rock that has fallen from the steep hill behind.
TASTING NOTES
COLOUR: Bright straw
AROMA: Fragrant with rock melon, mandarin peel. Lifted notes of dry herbs, lime leaf, supplemented by complex aromas of nougat and slate.
PALATE: This wine displays tension and great length. The palate is tight and fresh, supported with a dense fruit weight and underlying chalky minerality providing linear structure. The mouthfeel is intense and yet seamless and balanced.
ANALYSIS: Alc. 13 % | pH 3.10 | TA 7.0
TASTING NOTES
COLOUR: Bright straw
AROMA: Fragrant with rock melon, mandarin peel. Lifted notes of dry herbs, lime leaf, supplemented by complex aromas of nougat and slate.
PALATE: This wine displays tension and great length. The palate is tight and fresh, supported with a dense fruit weight and underlying chalky minerality providing linear structure. The mouthfeel is intense and yet seamless and balanced.
ANALYSIS: Alc. 13 % | pH 3.10 | TA 7.0
WINEMAKERS NOTES
The fruit is hand-picked, hand sorted then whole bunch pressed. A proportion of juice is fermented on skins. Fermentation begins naturally (with vineyard indigenous yeast). The juice is fermented in large French oak vessels (500-1300L). After fermentation the wine is aged on yeast lees for 10 months.
VITICULTURALISTS NOTES
Vigour and fertility in this block is very low resulting from the high Greywacke rock content. As a result, the vines are treated differently to normal Sauvignon Blanc with only 2 canes laid, shoot thinned to 16 shoots, hand leaf plucked with a high 80% exposure. Very small berried and open bunches are typical in this block, with an average cropping level of 2.5kg per vine. At harvest the berries take on a blush appearance as it is ripened to around 23-24 Brix. One of the secrets to this block is that it holds its acidity level at high brix / ripeness levels.
TASTING NOTE:
COLOUR: Bright straw
AROMA: Fragrant with rock melon, mandarin peel. Lifted notes of dry herbs, lime leaf, supplemented by complex aromas of nougat and slate.
PALATE: This wine displays tension and great length. The palate is tight and fresh, supported with a dense fruit weight and underlying chalky minerality providing linear structure. The mouthfeel is intense and yet seamless and balanced.
ANALYSIS: Alc. 14 % | pH 3.13 | TA 7.2
WINEMAKERS NOTES
The fruit is hand-picked, hand sorted then whole bunch pressed. A proportion of juice is fermented on skins. Fermentation begins naturally (vineyard indigenous yeast). The juice is fermented in large French oak vessels (500-1300L). After fermentation the wine is aged on yeast lees for 10 months.
VITICULTURALISTS NOTES
Vigour and fertility in this block is very low resulting from the high Greywacke rock content. As a result, the vines are treated differently to normal Sauvignon Blanc with only 2 canes laid, shoot thinned to 16 shoots, hand leaf plucked with a high 80% exposure. Very small berried and open bunches are typical in this block, with an average cropping level of 2.5kg per vine. At harvest the berries take on a blush appearance as it is ripened to around 23-24 Brix. One of the secrets to this block is that it holds its acidity level at high brix / ripeness levels.
TASTING NOTES
COLOUR: Bright straw
AROMA: Sweet and fragrant with rock melon, nectarine and mandarin peel. Lifted notes of dry herbs, lime leaf, supplemented by complex aromas of nougat and toasted almond.
PALATE: This wine displays tension and great length. The palate is tight and fresh,
supported with a dense fruit weight and underlying chalky minerality providing
linear structure. The mouthfeel is intense and yet seamless and balanced.
ANALYSIS: Alc. 14 % | pH 3.14 | TA 7.4
WINEMAKERS NOTES
The fruit is hand-picked, hand sorted then whole bunch pressed. A proportion of juice is fermented on skins. Fermentation begins naturally (without inoculation) the juice is fermented in French oak vessels. After fermentation the wine is aged in French oak barrels on yeast lees for 10 months.
VITICULTURALISTS NOTES
Vigour and fertility in this block is very low resulting from the high Greywacke rock content. As a result, the vines are treated differently to normal Sauvignon Blanc with only 2 canes laid, shoot thinned to 16 shoots, hand leaf plucked with a high 80% exposure. Very small berried and open bunches are typical in this block, with an average cropping level of 2.5kg per vine.
At harvest the berries take on a blush appearance as it is ripened to around 24-25 Brix.
One of the secrets to this block is that it holds its acidity level at high brix / ripeness levels.
COLOUR: Bright straw
AROMA: Ripe tropical fruit core featuring mango, juicy nectarine and lemon peel. Lifted notes of dry herbs, lime leaf, and gooseberry, supplemented by complex aromas of honeycomb and toasted almond.
PALATE: This wine displays tension and great length. The palate is tight and fresh,
supported with a rich and creamy structure and underlying chalky minerality providing
linear structure. The mouthfeel is intense and yet seamless and well balanced.
ANALYSIS: Alc. 13 % | pH 3.21 | TA 7.4
The fruit is hand-picked into small baskets. At the winery it is hand sorted then gently whole bunch pressed, and the juice fermented in French oak barriques (20% new oak).
After fermentation the wine is aged in French oak barrels on yeast lees for 10 months.
Vigour and fertility in this block is very low resulting from the high Greywacke rock content. As a result, the vines are treated differently to normal Sauvignon Blanc with only 2 canes laid, shoot thinned to 16 shoots, hand leaf plucked with a high 80% exposure. Very small berried and open bunches are typical in this block, with an average cropping level of 2.5kg per vine.
At harvest the berries take on a blush appearance as it is ripened to around 24-25 Brix. One of the secrets to this block is that it holds its acidity level at high brix / ripeness levels.
COLOUR: Bright Straw
AROMA: Ripe tropical fruit core featuring mango, juicy nectarine, and lemon peel. Lifted notes of dry herbs, lime leaf, and gooseberry, supplemented by complex aromas of honeycomb and toasted almond.
PALATE: This wine displays tension and great length. The palate is tight and fresh, supported with a rich and creamy structure and underlying chalky minerality providing linear structure. The mouthfeel is intense and yet seamless and well balanced.
ANALYSIS: Alc. 13% | pH 3.21 | TA 7.4
WINEMAKER NOTES: The fruit is hand-picked into small baskets. At the winery it is hand sorted then gently whole bunch pressed, and the juice fermented in French oak barriques (20% new oak). After fermentation, the wine is aged in French oak barrels on yeast lees for 10 months.
VITICULTURIST NOTES: Vigour and fertility in this block are very low resulting from the high Greywacke rock content. As a result, the vines are treated differently to normal Sauvignon Blanc with only 2 canes laid, shoot thinned to 16 shoots, hand leaf plucked with a high 80% exposure. Very small berried and open bunches are typical in this block, with an average cropping level of 2.5kg per vine. At harvest, the berries take on a blush appearance as it is ripened to around 24-25 Brix. One of the secrets to this block is that it holds its acidity level at high brix / ripeness levels.
COLOUR: Bright Straw
AROMA: Ripe tropical fruit core featuring mango, juicy nectarine, and lemon peel. Lifted notes of dry herbs, lime leaf, and gooseberry, supplemented by complex aromas of honeycomb and toasted almond.
PALATE: This wine displays tension and great length. The palate is tight and fresh, supported with a rich and creamy structure and underlying chalky minerality providing linear structure. The mouthfeel is intense and yet seamless and well balanced.
ANALYSIS: Alc. 14% | pH 3.04 | TA 7.2
WINEMAKER NOTES: The fruit is hand-picked into small baskets. At the winery it is hand sorted then gently whole bunch pressed, and the juice fermented in French oak barriques (20% new oak). After fermentation, the wine is aged in French oak barrels on yeast lees for 10 months.
VITICULTURIST NOTES: Vigour and fertility in this block are very low resulting from the high Greywacke rock content. As a result, the vines are treated differently to normal Sauvignon Blanc with only 2 canes laid, shoot thinned to 16 shoots, hand leaf plucked with a high 80% exposure. Very small berried and open bunches are typical in this block, with an average cropping level of 2.5kg per vine. At harvest, the berries take on a blush appearance as it is ripened to around 24-25 Brix. One of the secrets to this block is that it holds its acidity level at high brix / ripeness levels.
COLOUR: Bright straw
AROMA: Ripe tropical fruit core featuring mango, juicy nectarine and citrus elements. Lifted notes of dry herbs, lime leaf, and gooseberry supplemented by complex aromas of honeycomb, vanilla bean and roasted hazelnut.
PALATE: This wine displays tension and great length. The palate is tight and fresh, supported with a rich and creamy structure and underlying chalky minerality providing linear structure. The mouthfeel is intense and yet seamless and well balanced.
ANALYSIS: Alc. 14% | pH 3.02 | TA 7.0
WINEMAKER NOTES: The fruit is hand-picked into small baskets. At the winery it is hand sorted then gently whole bunch pressed, and the juice fermented in French oak barriques (20% new oak). After fermentation the wine is aged in French oak barrels on yeast lees for 10 months.
VITICULTURIST NOTES: Vigour and fertility in this block is very low resulting from the high Greywacke rock content. As a result the vines are treated differently to normal Sauvignon Blanc with only 2 canes laid, shoot thinned to 16 shoots, hand leaf plucked with a high 80% exposure. Very small berried and open bunches are typical in this block, with an average cropping level of 2.5 kg per vine. At harvest the berries take on a blush appearance as it is ripened to around 24-25 Brix. One of the secrets to this block is that it holds its acidity level at high brix / ripeness levels.
COLOUR: Bright straw
AROMA: Ripe tropical fruit core with mango, ripe passionfruit and citrus. Lifted notes of dry herbs and lime leaf, supplemented by complex aromas of honeycomb, vanilla bean and roasted hazelnut.
PALATE: This wine displays tension and great length. The palate is tight and fresh, supported with a rich and creamy structure and underlying chalky minerality providing linear structure. The mouthfeel is intense and yet seamless and well balanced.
ANALYSIS: Alc. 14% | pH 3.11 | TA 7.4
WINEMAKER NOTES: The fruit is hand-picked into small baskets. At the winery it is hand sorted then gently whole bunch pressed, and the juice fermented in French oak barriques (20% new oak). After fermentation the wine is aged in French oak barrels on yeast lees for 10 months.
VITICULTURIST NOTES: Vigour and fertility in this block is very low resulting from the high Greywacke rock content. As a result the vines are treated differently to normal Sauvignon Blanc with only 2 canes laid, shoot thinned to 16 shoots, hand leaf plucked with a high 80% exposure. Very small berried and open bunches are typical in this block, with an average cropping level of 2.5 kg per vine. At harvest the berries take on a blush appearance as it is ripened to around 24-25 Brix. One of the secrets to this block is that it holds its acidity level at high brix / ripeness levels.
COLOUR: Bright straw
AROMA: Ripe tropical fruit core with mango, passionfruit, lychee and citrus. Lifted notes of dry herbs and lime leaf, supplemented by complex aromas of honeycomb and roasted hazelnut.
PALATE: This wine displays tension and great length. The palate is tight and fresh, supported with a rich and creamy structure and underlying chalky minerality providing linear structure. The mouthfeel is intense and yet seamless and well balanced.
ANALYSIS: Alc. 14% | pH 3.21 | TA 6.3
WINEMAKER NOTES: The fruit is hand-picked into small baskets. At the winery it is hand sorted then gently whole bunch pressed, and the juice fermented in French oak barriques (20% new oak). After fermentation the wine is aged in French oak barrels on yeast lees for 10 months.
VITICULTURIST NOTES: Vigour and fertility in this block is very low resulting from the high Greywacke rock content. As a result the vines are treated differently to normal Sauvignon Blanc with only 2 canes laid, shoot thinned to 16 shoots, hand leaf plucked with a high 80% exposure. Very small berried and open bunches are typical in this block, with an average cropping level of 2.5kg per vine. At harvest the berries take on a blush appearance as it is ripened to around 24-25 Brix. One of the secrets to this block is that it holds its acidity level at high brix / ripeness levels.
COLOUR: Bright straw
AROMA: Ripe tropical fruit core with mango, ripe passionfruit and citrus. Lifted notes of dry herbs and lime leaf, supplemented by complex aromas of honeycomb, vanilla bean and roasted hazelnut.
PALATE: This wine displays tension and great length. The palate is tight and fresh, supported with a rich and creamy structure and underlying chalky minerality providing linear structure. The mouthfeel is intense and yet seamless and well balanced.
ANALYSIS: Alc. 14.5% | pH 3.16 | TA 7.1
WINEMAKER NOTES: The fruit is hand-picked into small baskets. At the winery it is hand sorted then gently whole bunch pressed, and the juice fermented in French oak barriques (20% new oak).
After fermentation the wine is aged in French oak barrels on yeast lees for 10 months.
VITICULTURIST NOTES: Vigour and fertility in this block is very low resulting from the high Greywacke rock content.As a result the vines are treated differently to normal Sauvignon Blanc with only 2 canes laid,shoot thinned to 16 shoots, hand leaf plucked with a high 80% exposure. Very small berried and open bunches are typical in this block, with an average cropping level of 2.5kg per vine. At harvest the berries take on a blush appearance as it is ripened to around 24-25 Brix. One of the secrets to this block is that it holds its acidity level at high brix / ripeness levels.
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