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Umamu Estate only releases their wines when theyve had time to develop in the bottle and this Sauvignon Blanc Semillon is drinking beautifully now. In the glass: Beautifully vibrant bright lemon with a still-youthful green tint. On the nose: Lifted mix of toast and honey development. On the palate: Rich and beautifully developed with a lovely warm core of buttered toast, preserved lemon and lemon curd in a terrifically textured, layered and complex wine. So remarkably fresh and complex.

An exotic Middle-Eastern mélange of poached quinces, sticky dates and tree-ripened figs, laced with vanilla bean, cardamom and hints of black licorice. This is a ripe, opulent expression of the pinot gris grape in a voluptuous off-dry style that has considerable concentration and a long, luscious finish. The three clones were hand-picked separately at high ripeness levels and whole-bunch pressed using very low maceration press cycles. The resulting juice was cold settled, then racked to fermentation vessels. Most of the juice went through a natural indigenous yeast fermentation in old French oak barriques and the balance was fermented in stainless steel tanks using cultured yeast. Towards the end of fermentation all the wine was transferred to stainless steel tanks where the fermentations were stopped, retaining 10 g/l residual sugar. The wine then spent a year on yeast lees (seven months in old barrels and the remaining time in stainless steel tanks) prior to blending and bottling. Kevin Judd is one of Marlboroughs pioneer winemakers whose career is intrinsically linked with the global profile of New Zealand wine. Kevin was born in England and grew up in Australia, where he studied winemaking at Roseworthy College and first made wine at Reynella in South Australia. He moved to New Zealand in 1983 and joined Selaks Wines. Subsequently, he became the founding winemaker at Cloudy Bay, a pivotal role during which he directed the companys first 25 vintages. In 2009 he established his own label, Greywacke, named after New Zealands prolific bedrock. The Name: New Zealand does not have a designated national rock, but if one was ever chosen it would have to be greywacke (pron: grey-wacky). This drab grey stone is found everywhere in New Zealand on the mountains, in the rivers, on the beaches. It consists of layers of hard, muddy grey sandstone alternating with thinner layers of darker mudstone (argillite). Technically the term greywacke refers to the sandstone (wacke is a German name for a type of sandstone), but it is also used as a general term for the entire rock.

Aromas of ripe freshly cut citrus fruits, reminiscent of pristine lemons and oranges, intertwined with lifted aromas of spring blossoms. Not a simple example of this sought-after style, the palate shows excellent concentration, poise, and length.

Nose: subtle blend of pear, white peach, honeysuckle and lychee. Palate: gentle and soft mouth feel with medium intensity mid palate tending tropical which reflects the warm growing season. Low sugar, but a fruit- sweet balance point: the acidity is subtle and the wine dry. Expresses a fruit sweetness and generosity throughout the palate, starting out with hints of nectarine, peach and undertones of honey with a clean, dry, yet smooth finish. Winemaker’s Notes: Small parcels of Pinot Gris were fermented separately using a variety of yeasts, with fruit taken from a number of vineyard sites throughout Marlborough. Pressings were fermented in oak and kept separate from the free run which was tank fermented. We assembled the wine with the primary goal of balance given the subtle nature of Pinot Gris and the accentuation of primary clean fruit character, which is typically pears and light citrus. Winemaking Philosophy: all our growers are certified sustainable, with viticulturists bent on an organic and natural approach where possible. Dovetailing that nicely are our winemakers’ low intervention approach to their crafting of the grapes.