SWEET SAUVIGNON BLANC?
"We make it because it's cool." Hear Jules explain why she loves "the little sweetie" so much...
FOOD MATCH
Food and wine pairing doesn't get much better than a glass or two of Jules' Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc matched with a sticky (or stinky!) cheese platter, garnished with caramelised figs and honey toasted nuts. YUM!
WINEMAKERS NOTES
The 2024 vintage was one of those times when Mother Nature created the perfect conditions for some wonderfully dehydrated berries that provided us with intensely flavoured viscous juice.
AROMA & FLAVOUR
This wine has outstanding aromas of passionfruit curd, apricot jam and caramelised fig with a touch of white floral fragrance. The palate is decadently sweet with concentrated flavours of ripe passionfruit, apricot marmalade and a hint of candied citrus. A soft line of acidity from its Sauvignon Blanc heritage cuts through the sweetness to balance the rich flavours to perfection. Luscious!
VINTAGE NOTES
A strong El Nino weather pattern dominated in 2024, causing strong westerly winds
and warm, very dry conditions down NZ’s east coast. Vine growth began later than
previous years and a couple of very cold nights in early October caused a touch of
frost damage in the Southern Valleys. Flowering was relatively poor, and it quickly
became clear that the harvest would be much smaller than 2022 or 2023. Warm
weather began in mid-December and continued right through to March, causing one
of the shortest ripening periods on record. However clear, cold nights retained fruit
acidity during ripening. Our first pick was Pinot Gris
on the 8th March and the last block was a parcel of Sauvignon Blanc for the Late
Harvest Sauvignon Blanc, picked on 6th June. All the 2024 fruit was packed with
flavour due to the amazing growing conditions. It was an ideal vintage!
VINIFICATION
We hand picked the grapes across two cool mornings in May and early June 2024. The raisined berries were crushed and pressed a first time. The juice from the initial pressing was chilled and returned to the press, allowing the skins to rehydrate, so we could obtain a little more of the precious nectar. The viscous juice was settled, then once clear, fermented in a small tank over the next four weeks. It was a slow affair due to the high concentration of sugars in the juice. Once the perfect balance of flavour and sweetness was achieved, we bottled in October 2024.
