2025 TWR Sauvignon Blanc

The 2024/25 growing season featured sunny conditions in late spring, and the start of December—the warmest on record—provided favourable flowering conditions. As is increasingly becoming the norm, our results and harvest timings differed from the greater Marlborough region due to our laser focus on quality over quantity. Detailed yield assessments were carried out across all blocks at several stages during the growing season to ensure ideal vine balance and the highest quality fruit. All blocks were shoot thinned and bunch thinned, with several passes of leaf plucking undertaken as well. January 2025 was relatively cool, however February and March delivered lovely settled weather, while summer rainfall was approximately half the long-term average.

This long, even season meant that harvest dates aligned closely with our long-term averages and were nicely spread out, beginning with the first pick on 10th March and stretching through to 9th April for Shamrock. This release is a blend from two specially selected vineyards across two different subregions of Marlborough. One vineyard is located in the Wairau Valley—Te Whare Ra—comprising 35% of the blend, while the second vineyard is Shamrock in the Upper Awatere Valley, contributing 65% of the blend. This release was entirely grown and made by the Flowerday family, which brings us enormous joy.

Growing conditions in the Awatere are characterised by cooler temperatures and slower ripening, both crucial for flavour development and retaining ripe acidity. Wines from this subregion tend to be more restrained in their youth, yet possess excellent texture, structure and longevity. The Wairau experiences warmer days, longer sunshine hours and a greater diurnal range. These climatic differences result in wines with lovely fleshiness and texture, characterised by riper tropical and stone fruit flavours alongside a fine line of minerality.
The larger parcels of fruit for this wine were selectively machine harvested, while the home block portion was entirely hand-picked and hand-sorted. Free-run juice and soft pressings were combined for fermentation. The majority of parcels underwent slow, cool fermentation in stainless steel, with 18% of the blend fermented at warmer temperatures in older French oak demi-muids. All parcels spent time on fine lees post-ferment to build texture. This wine has not been fined and is suitable for vegans, vegetarians and anyone who appreciates authentic, hand-made wines.

This 2025 release shows distinctive Awatere characters of white currant and elderflower, alongside guava and lemongrass, coupled with lovely ripe passionfruit and tropical notes with hints of basil and lime from the Wairau. These characters follow through to the palate, which is fine and supple with layers of fleshy fruit balanced by ripe, juicy acidity and lingering minerality. There is real fruit weight here, complemented by lovely texture derived from extended lees contact and the barrel-fermented parcels. – Anna & Jason Flowerday, TWR