Minimal intervention, maximum attention to detail.
“Sauvignon blanc is evolving - or, more accurately, a handful of creative wine producers are reinventing and refining the style. But what does it mean to you, the drinker?”
Paul Edwards, wine reviewer at The West Australian, recently spoke about a few sav blancs that have caught his eye and turned his head from being a bit of an eye-roller at the variety into, what can only be described as, a bit of a fan.
The frontrunner of the line-up was Marri Wood Park’s 2021 Sauvignon Blanc, which he gave 95/100 and described as a sauvignon blanc .."far from the standard example" of the variety. He favourably noted the complexity of the wine, and marked it as a model for the new generation of textural sauvignon blancs coming to market.
In his article, Paul says:
“Fortunately, many producers continue to pay the variety the respect it deserves. Not least Marri Wood Park, a Demeter-certified, biodynamically farmed vineyard in Margaret River’s north. Hand pruning, hand-harvesting and hand-sorting of the grapes is standard and demonstrates the care that goes into their wines. Owner and viticulturist Julian Wright considers himself a minimal intervention producer but, as is usually the case with this moniker, that means maximum attention to detail.”
Marri Wood Park’s Sauvignon Blanc is made using methods similar to that of Chardonnay, to extract and highlight the bold characters of the fruit. The combination of cosmic intelligence, hands on care in the vineyard, and collaborative and concerted winemaking by Nic Peterkin creates a harmonised and mouthy wine - a pour which is surpassing the sauvignon blanc expectations of seasoned sippers and varietal sceptics alike.
Marri Wood Park 2021 Sauvignon Blanc
"Far from the standard example. Aromatics and flavours are reminiscent of limoncello, grapefruit pith and green apple. Layered baking spices, piecrust and a herbal, quinine-like bite add complexity. Has some laudable oomph with a medium-weight, rounded mouthfeel and a varietal trademark zesty, crisp acidity, finishing long and saline. A profoundly good wine and a model for a new generation of texturally complex sauvignon blancs." Paul Edwards, 95/100
Read the full article here - Paul Edwards, The West Australian: The New Faces of Sauvignon Blanc.