Main Divide Waipara Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2020

Main Divide Waipara Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2020Dry style Passionfruit & guva Lemongrass & elderflower Crisp finish "Really expressive and lifted nose with pronounced grapefruit, pear drop, elder flower and wet stones. Has richness, intensity of flavour and a long finish, balanced by a crunchy, herbal freshness. A complex, individualistic style" NZ Wine Rater, Dec 2020 "This is delightfully fruited and fragrant on the nose showing peach, feijoa, kiwifruit and lemon zest aromas. The palate displays

• Dry style
• Passionfruit & guva
• Lemongrass & elderflower
• Crisp finish

"Really expressive and lifted nose with pronounced grapefruit, pear-drop, elder flower and wet stones. Has richness, intensity of flavour and a long finish, balanced by a crunchy, herbal freshness. A complex, individualistic style" NZ Wine Rater, Dec 2020

"This is delightfully fruited and fragrant on the nose showing peach, feijoa, kiwifruit and lemon zest aromas. The palate displays excellent fruit intensity with fine texture and juicy acidity, making it tasty and highly appealing" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Mar 2021

"Bright, even, pale yellow. The nose is vibrant and softly full, nuances of pineapple, gooseberries, guava filled the glass, along with lemongrass, basil and lime flower. Medium-light bodied, cleansing and fresh aromas of pineapple, gooseberries took the centre of attention, grapefruit and zest followed, unfolding lemongrass, basil and a little floral. The flavours are clean and crisp with tension, subtle zesty spice on the finish added interest. This is a tropical-flavoured Sauvignon Blanc with vigour and acid tension on a pristine palate" Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Wine Reviews, Feb 2021

"Very lively and youthful, the 2020 vintage is a bright, light lemon/green, medium to full-bodied wine, with fresh, punchy passionfruit/lime flavours, dry and crisp" Michael Cooper, Jan 2021

The wine is pale lemon in colour. Heady tropical aromas of passionfruit, pineapple and guava leap out of the glass, along with hints of grapefruit, gooseberry, lemongrass, and elderflower. The palate has a pleasing richness, balanced with fresh zesty minerality that ensures the wine remains elegant yet focussed, with a satisfying, crisp finish.

Main Divide is the local name for the Southern Alps and is the backbone of the South Island, where grapes for Main Divide are exclusively sourced. Vineyards have been selected for their quality and ability to express unique regional flavours.

Settled weather over flowering provided a healthy fruit set, which was then thinned back to desired levels. The ensuing summer was dry with very little rain, resulting in perfectly ripened small berries full of intense flavour and concentration. Thankfully, their harvest was able to proceed during the C-19 lockdown, and an unbroken autumn full of warm days meant each variety was picked at its optimum maturity.

The grapes were picked in separate batches during late March from their own vineyards, the aim being to produce a spectrum of ripe yet zesty aromas and flavours in the finished wine. Due to the very hot summer, they were able to harvest earlier than usual, allowing the berries to retain good levels of natural acidity. The fruit was also cropped at a low level (approx. 7 tonnes per hectare) to add further concentration. After gentle pressing of the berries, the free run juice was fermented in stainless steel tanks at cool temperatures to help the wine express its varietal purity, with the wine being bottled shortly after.