TINPOT HUT MARLBOROUGH SAUVIGNON BLANC
Tinpot Hut wines are made primarily from fruit grown on winemaker Fiona Turner's vineyard in Blind River. Fiona, who has worked with Matt Thomson for a number of years, supplements her own grapes with fruit from other growers in Marlborough and Hawkes Bay. The tinpot hut that gave its name to Fiona's wines is an old mustering hut in the remote hills between the Wairau and Awatere Valleys. The huts were used as a base for musterers as they rounded up the sheep that had been in the hills from spring to autumn. The name links Marlborough's past as a sheep farming centre with its current state as one of the world's most dynamic wine regions.
The fruit for this wine was sourced from specially selected vineyards in the Blind River, Dashwood and Lower Wairau subregions. Blind River and Dashwood fruit contributed the acidity, mineral and fresh herbal notes, while the Lower Wairau, as always, contributed the tropical top notes and mid-palate roundness. This blending of flavours gives a balance between herbaceous and tropical. All vineyard parcels are kept separate in the winery prior to blending post-fermentation.
The 2022 growing season was characterised by La Niña conditions. Warm weather during flowering and regular rainfall during fruit set meant that rigorous canopy and yield management were crucial to bring the vines and yields into balance, giving fruit of exceptional varietal character.
A pleasingly rich Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc with vibrant aromatics and a fine balance of acidity. Complex and elegant, the nose opens with classic characters of blackcurrant bud and freshly cut thyme. Underlying mineral, saline nuances from the grapes grown in the Blind River sub-region combine well with the tropical notes of passion fruit and melon from the Wairau Valley vineyards.
