Greenhough River Garden Sauvignon Blanc 2023

Greenhough River Garden Sauvignon Blanc, Nelson, South Island, New Zealand, 2023

Grapes: 98% Sauvignon Blanc and 2% Semillon, wild fermentation (92% in tank and 8% in oak), certified 100% organic.

Producer Tasting Note:

Pale with hints of green. Bursting with aromas of passionfruit, pear, citrus leaf and sea salt. On the palate, luscious fruit flavours are anchored by a core of ripe citrus which adds great energy and freshness. The vintage has resulted in a wine that is light on its feet, elegantly balanced and instantly appealing.

Critics' Tasting Notes:

"There’s no mistaking the core varietal scents of grapefruit and tropical fruits, crisp red apple and suggestions of sage and Thai basil. Crisp and dry, refreshing with high acidity and freshly picked herbs lift, some passionfruit and apple flavours along with a gentle flinty saline quality. Well made, new and ready. Best drinking from 2024 through 2029."

93/100 points, Cameron Douglas MS, April 2024

"The 2023 Sauvignon Blanc River Garden has a restrained expression, focusing on texture rather than wham-bam aromatics. It is supple and round, offering ripe apple flavours and a touch of almond pastry, suggestive of lees contact. It might not be showy but it is quietly assured, balanced and moreish.” Drink 2025-2028 

90/100 points, Rebecca Gibb, VINOUS, March 2025

The Greenhough Property:

In late 1990, a young couple left Auckland to re-settle in a rural pocket of Nelson, encouragingly named ‘Hope’. Swapping city for country life, Andrew and Jenny took on a four- hectare property determined to create something of their own. The vineyard had been partially established in the mid-70s by a pioneer amateur winemaker. From a single hectare planted in the mid-1970s, their home vineyards have grown to almost nine. Prized parcels of original vines planted in 1976 remain as some of the oldest in the region. The nearby Morison Vineyard, established in 2000, adds a further four hectares. Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay are the mainstays of the estate's plantings, with small blocks of additional Riesling, Pinot Blanc and Gewurztraminer providing 'colour' to the grape varieties grown here.

Food Match: Try with some Pizza Panada (made with Goat’s cheese, mozzarella, tomato, caramelised onion, spinach, red onion and garlic oil). Summer salads with crumbled feta cheese, asparagus, avocado and fennel. Grilled fish and any shellfish with zingy flavours