Low, but well balanced crops were harvested at optimal ripeness.  This traditional French blend of sauvignon blanc and semillon was fermented by indigenous yeasts and then aged sur lie, the semillon component in old French oak barriques.

This traditional French blend has aromas and flavours of citrus fruit, passion-fruit and greengages, with a hint of dried herbs.  The low crop levels have particularly emphasised the semillon component in the wine, filling out the palate and giving good concentration as well as structure.  It has a crisp, dry finish and a lingering after-taste on the palate.  While ready to drink on release it should develop additional layers of complexity with careful cellaring over several years.

This was an excellent vintage for this traditional Bordeaux blend of sauvignon blanc and semillon.  Both portions underwent fermentation by their natural yeasts and aged sur lie for 11 months, the former in stainless steel and the latter in old French oak barrels.

In this traditional Bordeaux blend of grapes the sauvignon blanc’s powerful aromas and flavours are tamed by the semillon, which adds mid-palate weight and depth.  The exotic aromas and flavours suggest tropical spices, Turkish musk, passion-fruit and paw paw, supported by an array of citrus fruits and wild thyme.  The wine has good concentration in the mouth but is refined and elegant with a spine of tingling minerality and crisp acidity which complement its lingering, dry finish.
 
The French add semillon to sauvignon blanc to give the wine longevity.  Thus, unlike pure sauvignon blanc, it should age well with careful cellaring, developing additional fascinating nuances over the next 5-6 years and living for a decade or more.

Spring and early summer were exceptionally dry and we felt the vines would be adversely affected by lack of water.  Then the unexpected happened.  We had a downpour in mid-February which set the dry streams gurgling and recharged the ground water levels.  After this the vines had enough water to keep them happy until harvest. 

Waipara was buffeted by frequent strong winds in late spring and early summer which coincided with the period when the grapes were in flower.  It impaired pollination and thus quite markedly reduced the crop level.  The rest of the summer, however, and the autumn was warm, dry and lingering.  We were thus able to harvest beautifully ripened, flavoursome grapes which had retained good levels of natural acidity.

Mild spring weather resulted in early budburst but there followed a period of cool nights, which prevented excessively rapid berry growth. There was good accumulation of summer heat and the autumn was dry, warm and long. We thus had a somewhat longer growing season than usual and this extra time on the vine lead to the development of zesty, ripe fruit flavours...

December, when the vines were in flower, was the coldest and wettest in over a century. This resulted in an exceptionally low crop of grapes “setting” and thus giving the wine special concentration and depth. At the start of January the berries were lagging behind in their development. The rest of the summer and autumn were warm and dry which enabled the grapes to catch up, ripen perfectly and yet retain fresh vibrant fruit flavours with good levels of acidity...

Early and mid-summer were extremely hot, raising the concern that the sauvignon blanc and semillon might lose their freshness and zesty varietal aromas and flavours. Late summer, however, was unusually cold, which slowed development and allowed the long warm autumn, which followed, to draw out ripening. We were thus able to harvest fully mature, perfect fruit in late autumn, which is our aim...

Cool weather during the flowering period of the grapes led to a small crop setting on the vines. This has given the wine extra concentration and character. There was good heat summation over the rest of the growing season, but it was not excessively hot...

The growing season was ideal for sauvignon blanc and semillon in that the summer was not excessively hot, while the autumn was warm, dry and very prolonged. This led to the development of intense cool climate varietal flavours with retention of good levels of natural acidity...

Warm days were intermingled with cooler ones which meant that the summer was not too hot. It was followed by an exceptionally long, lingering dry autumn. These growing conditions ensured the development and retention of intense sauvignon blanc and semillon characters, while allowing the fruit to obtain optimal ripeness. Low crop levels lead to extra concentration in the wine...