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Greywacke

Greywacke Wild Sauvignon 2010

Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand, 2010
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Vinification and ageing are the key to understanding this wine.  The Sauvignon Blanc was harvested during the cool (often cold) conditions of night. The grapes were pressed relatively lightly and the resulting juice was cold settled prior to fermentation. The majority of the juice was fermented cool in stainless steel tanks using cultured yeast and a portion was filled into old French oak barriques, where it was allowed to undergo spontaneous indigenous yeast fermentation. This lasted for almost 12 months. The wine had occasional lees stirring and approximately two thirds of the barrels underwent malolactic fermentation. It was transferred out of oak during the following harvest and left on yeast lees for a further four months before being bottled in August 2011.

Fruit was sourced from various vineyard sites in and around the Brancott Valley and the central Wairau Plains, specifically in Woodbourne, Renwick and Rapaura. Soil types vary from the young alluvial soils of Rapaura and Renwick, which contain high proportions of greywacke river stones, to the older and denser clay-loam gravels of the Southern Valleys. The majority of the vineyards were trained using the divided Scott Henry canopy management system, with the balance being on two- or three-cane vertical shoot positioning.
Fuller and broader than a typical marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.  The Greywacke Wild has a bouquet has the lushness of a lemon crème brûlée, with sweet vanillin notes infused with thyme and toasted sesame. The palate is generous and crammed with savoury complexity - a Sauvignon that is rich and creamy with a lingering chalky texture.

 

On the 2010

The Guardian
2nd December, 2011
Fiona Beckett
One of my favourites.
 
The Good Wine Guide (Aus)
 
11th October, 2011
Nick Stock, 94 points
Kevin Judd’s take on the barrel-fermented, wild-yeast style is a green/gold glass of complex pristine Sauvignon that owes as much to great Chardonnays as it does to the Marlborough Sauvignon brigade. Aromas of candied gooseberry and lime biscuits here; the palate’s built on rich fruit and has impressive texture, with a tickle of sherbet-like acid to close.
 
wine-pages.com
 
1st June, 2011
Tom Cannavan, 93 points
Huge brazil nut French oak nose with masses of green fig and bold, tropical fruit. The palate has that huge presence too, the super-sweet fruit set against a decisive core of minerality, hints of coffee and charry oak just adding a supporting layer beneath.
 
Winefront.com.au
 
6th May, 2011
Gary Walsh, 95 points
A little funk and smoke, but restrained and sophisticated, with a kiss of dusty vanilla oak over citrus rind, gooseberry and subtle pineapple fruit. It's fleshy and lightly pithy with a little capsicum spice, but it's the texture and 'completeness' that are high points, rather than simple flavours. Soft, but mineral, long and very complex - mouth-watering grapefruit segments (in light syrup) to close. Might well be as good as Marlborough Sauvignon gets.
 
chrisshanahan.com
 
10th April, 2011
Chris Shanahan
Thrilling interpretation of the region’s signature variety, fermented by wild yeasts in old oak barrels. This is high acid, intense Marlborough Sauvignon of great textural richness.
 
raymondchanwinereviews.co.nz
 
28th March, 2011
Raymond Chan, 5 stars
Bright straw-yellow colour with depth, this has a full, concentrated nose of limes, gooseberries, passionfruit, herbs and lantana complexed by nutty oak, smoke, flint and mineral notes. Dry to taste, this is brilliantly constructed with layers of ripe tropical fruit, nectarine and herb flavours. Creamy barrel-ferment textures are finely tensioned by superb acidity. The richness and lusciousness is perfectly balanced by the cut and freshness.
 
The Guardian
 
5th February, 2011
Fiona Beckett
Rewardingly complex..the most exciting New Zealand Sauvignon I've yet encountered.
 
21st January, 2011
Peter Richards
Its aromatics show lovely toasty nutty hints, with a fresh lemon rind character. It has wonderfully elegant texture and a glycerol richness. In fact, the wine is all about texture rather than obvious flavour – it glides across the palate, with gentle resonance. Versatile and understated. A nod to white Graves, but a successful and distinct style in its own right. 8.5/10 points.
 
15th January, 2011
Tim Atkin, 94 points
Sourced from eight different sites in the central Wairau and southern valleys, this is Judd’s very successful attempt at a barrel- and wild yeast-fermented style. It’s not completely dry, but you don’t notice the sugar. Savoury, mealy and almost Graves-like, this is the pick of Judd’s “dry” whites.
 
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
 
31st October, 2011
Lisa Perotti Brown, 93 points
It displays yeasty / toasty notes of freshly baked bread and toasted almonds over fresh grapefruit juice, kumquats, passion fruit and mandarin peel plus hints of cedar, coriander seed and dill. Medium bodied and wonderfully concentrated, it has a beautiful satiny texture, invigorating acidity and a very long, layered finish.
 
JancisRobinson.com
 
7th June, 2011
Jancis Robinson MW, 16.5 points
Pale straw. Sweet nose with lots of richness. Really quite exotic. Pure passion-fruit juice! Fun!
 
Sydney Morning Herald
 
28th May, 2011
Jane Faulkner
This wine is all about layers of texture and complexity...Definitely not fruit-driven, it's savoury with plenty of style. It builds on the palate, is lightly woodsy and leesy and is balanced with enticing ginger spice and lemon curd notes. A terrific wine that will make people rethink Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.
 
wineorbit.co.nz
 
1st May, 2011
Sam Kim, 95 points
The name implies the wine is not your usual Marlborough Sauvignon. And it isn't. This is one of those'alternative' style, and it is seriously good, displaying lime, dried herb, flint and savoury characters on the nose. The palate is full, concentrated and richly textured with excellent mid palate weight and beautifully integrated acidity leading to an impressively long finish. This is not only full of character, it is great drinking too.
 
Independent Wine Monthly (NZ)
 
1st April, 2011
Jane Skilton MW
An intriguing nose; fennel seed, lemon fresh rosemary and thyme. Aged in old oak, there is a savoury, mealy quality with ripe pineapple, guava and melon too. As the wine opens up there is a core of sweet fruit on the palate giving supple, succulent mouthfeel. Quite restrained and tight, much less bold than expected, dry with lovely linear acidity. The oak influence just peeps through on the finish giving a mealy, biscuity edge and the wine finishes with tremendous length and persistence.
 
TheWineGang.com
 
4th March, 2011
92 points
A wine whose vanilla spice and exotic pineapple zing and grapefruit zesty flavours are amplified by the very distinctive personality that the wild yeast factor brings. Seems to get better and better.
 
Business & Finance (IRE)
 
1st February, 2011
David Whelehan
This wine had real personality...The aromas were mineral, toast with a myriad of citrus references. The palate was multi-layered, wonderfully structured, elegant, very concentrated and most importantly totally delicious. Sadly this is not a cheap wine, however even at its full price, sip for sip it still delivers great value.
 
JancisRobinson.com
 
19th January, 2011
Richard Hemming, 16.5 points
Green, herbal, rich and thick. Not cloying, thanks to the crisp finish. Citrus and gooseberry linger on the finish.

The Guardian, Fiona Beckett, 05 Feb 11  
Rewardingly complex..the most exciting New Zealand Sauvignon I've yet encountered.
 

 


Peter Richards, 21 Jan 11

Its aromatics show lovely toasty nutty hints, with a fresh lemon rind character. It has wonderfully

elegant texture and a glycerol richness. In fact, the wine is all about texture rather than obvious

flavour – it glides across the palate, with gentle  resonance. Versatile and understated. A nod  to

white Graves, but a successful and distinct style in its own right. 8.5/10 points.

 


94 points, Tim Atkin, 15 Jan 11

Sourced from eight different sites in the central Wairau and southern valleys, this is Judd’s  very

successful attempt at a barrel- and wild yeast-fermented style. It’s not completely dry, but  you

don’t notice the sugar. Savoury, mealy and almost Graves-like, this is the pick of Judd’s  “dry”

whites.

Greywacke

Kevin Judd is intrinsically linked with the global profile of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Born in England and raised in Australia he moved to NZ in 1983 becoming the founding winemaker at little known winery Cloudy Bay. Kevin played a pivotal role, directing the first 25 vintages until he resigned in 2008. By any definition he is the father of the inimitable NZSB style. Not only this Kevin has a parallel career as one of the World's great wine photographers.
 

Fruit for Greywacke SB is sourced from the small Judd Family vineyard in Rapaura and from mature Sutherland family plots in the Wairau Plains and Southern Marlborough Valleys – specifically Woodbourne and Renwick. The name derives from the indigenous Greywacke rock that is prevalent throughout the Marlborough region and was registered as a wine name by Kevin back in 1993 with the vague notion that he might one day want to produce a wine of his own. Today he is also producing a stunning Chardonnay, a full-throttle lees aged and lightly oaked 'Wild' Sauvignon, a Pinot Noir that has given critics serious cause to revise their view of Marlborough Pinot and a late harvest Gewurztraminer sweet wine.
 

The wines are made by Kevin at the famous Dog Point winery, a facility extended to him by long-standing friends and industry colleagues Ivan Sutherland and James Healy. Kevin’s famed ‘non-interventionist’ technique is leading to more and more great wines. 

 

 



Wine features
  • 0.75l volume
  • 13.5% ABV
  • Drink by 2015
  • Screw Cap
  • Limited Availability
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