2011 Greenhough Sauvignon Blanc Nelson

The 2011 Sauvignon Blanc displays intense gooseberry, grapefruit and fresh pea pod notes with a suggestion of peachiness. Medium-bodied, the crisp acidity and decent fruit concentration give it a nice texture through the very well-balanced, long finish. Drink this one now to 2014. (10/ 2012)

(barrel-fermented with wild yeasts): Pale bright yellow. Expressive aromas of lime blossom, pepper and spicy oak. Sweet and ripe but with very good cut to the pineappley tropical fruit flavors. Good mid-palate stuffing and structure here. Finishes firm, brisk and persistent, with a lemony flavor and a nicely integrated oak element. (9/ 2012)

From the winery: "We harvest in several lots ensuring a range of flavours from herbaceous through gooseberry and melon towards tropical fruits at the ripest end of the spectrum. The finished wine displays a balance of these flavours. Nelson Sauvignon Blanc typically displays a little less pungent and overt character than the Marlborough style. Greenhough has evolved to embrace this comparative degree of restraint. Clay rich, stoney soils and moderate yields provide a dry wine with naturally lower acidity and genuine fruit weight. This is the foundation on which we build complexity. A small portion of high solids juice is fermented warm in new French oak using wild yeasts. The savoury, spicy, very textural character of this component contrasts markedly with the more punchy, fresh fruit aromas and flavours of the tank fermented wine."