*** Decanter Magazine NZ Sauv Blanc Tasting August 2017 - 1 of only 2 wines listed as Exceptional with 98/100 points *** Country: New Zealand Region: Marlborough Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc Vintage: 2021Colour: White Style:Dry Producer: Tinpot Hut Estate Description: 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. Vineyards Around 40% of the fruit for this wine is sourced from specially selected vineyards in the Blind River sub-region with the balance coming from the rich silty soils of Dillon's Point in the Lower Wairau. The Wairau fruit imparts ripe tropical flavours, whereas the fruit from the Awatere Valley has more of a mineral and crushed fresh herb character. 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. Vintage information The 2015 growing season was characterised by a dry spring and summer and a short, mild harvest. Lower yields due to cooler weather during flowering have produced wonderful fruit intensity. Vinification The fruit from each vineyard was independently monitored and harvested before being carefully pressed to ensure minimal skin contact preventing juice deterioration. Once settled, the batches were cool fermented in stainless steel tanks using specific cultured yeasts to add complexity while retaining the fresh fruit characteristics from each of the individual vineyards. Shortly after blending, the wine was prepared for bottling under a screw-cap closure. Tasting Notes A complex and elegant wine with intense aromas of blackcurrant, crushed lemongrass and thyme, mingle with passionfruit and melon highlights. On the palate, underlying ripe fruit and mineral notes from the grapes grown in the Blind River sub region of Marlborough combine well with the more tropical notes of passionfruit and melon from the Wairau Valley vineyards. A stylish and pleasingly rich Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc with vibrant aromatics and a fine balance of acidity leading to a lingering finish.