Te Whare Ra SV Sauvignon Blanc 2022

Te Whare Ra SV Sauvignon Blanc is the result of a fifteen-year project chasing a more textural style of Sauvignon Blanc from Te Whare Ra's own home block. Low crops and careful fruit selection bring white stone-fruit and lifted florality, with ripe tropical notes, basil and lime running through. Barrel fermentation in mostly old French oak gives the palate real weight and fleshiness, backed by ripe, juicy acidity and a lingering mineral finish. This isn't the crisp, grassy Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough built its name on. It's richer and more savoury, made in tiny volumes for people who want to see the variety pushed somewhere different.

What the winery says: This is Te Whare Ra's fourth ever release under the SV5182 designation and the result of a 15-year project with Sauvignon Blanc from their own home block, made with low crops and meticulous canopy management to prioritise fruit weight and texture over grassy pungency. The wine was fermented mostly in large old-format French oak and rested on fine lees for 10 months. Only 30 cases were made. The winery says it's deliciously drinkable now but will also reward some time in the cellar.

Erin Larkin, Robert Parker (Wine Advocate), 95 Points (2022)
The last time this wine was reviewed was in the 2015 vintage. It was made in 2017 (tiny production), 2020 and now this, the 2022 SV 5182 Sauvignon Blanc. The wine comes from low-cropped, exposed canopies and was picked riper. It was barrel fermented in mainly (80% this year) large old-format French oak, the balance in tank, and then left on the fine lees in the 600-liter neutral oak barrels for 10 months. On the nose, the wine gives us aromas of cassis and bramble, coriander and white pepper, cracked fennel seed and caper brine. This is elegant and restrained, the oak and fruit expertly matched. Often the marriage between oak and Sauvignon Blanc can be tumultuous; the two are not necessarily made for each other, so their matching must be sensitive and well thought through, as this is. It tastes like Marlborough but elevated.

Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, 96 Points (2022)
Expressing precision and clarity, the wine shows Granny Smith apple, fig, lemongrass, oatmeal and jasmine aromas on the nose, followed by an intensely flavoursome palate offering terrific fruit purity and persistency. Finely textured and brilliantly structured by vibrant acidity, finishing impressively long and mouth-watering. Hand-harvested, hand-sorted, and largely fermented in French oak barrels, yet the oak 'flavours' are not apparent, but provides textural saline mouthfeel and flow. This wine proves Sauvignon Blanc can be elevated to show sophistication. Certified organic.

Stephen Wong MW, The Real Review, 95 Points (2022)
Very fresh, herbaceous nose, all green fruit and grass; citrus, salinity, gooseberries. Intense and pungent, this is classic Marlborough sauvignon blanc. The palate is textural and weighty, relying on graininess and phenolics as well as fruit density. There are hints of sweet apple and mascarpone adding complexity to the mid-palate. Powerful, backward, spicy and tight with the gooseberry drawing in on the finish to a saline, tangy finish. Intensely long, full-bodied and unevolved; this has a coiled power and chewiness that will see it develop over a few years.