Winemakers Wishing For More

For immediate release
20 September 2007

Marlborough 2007 Vintage Update: Winemakers Wishing For More

• A classic year for Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.
• Modest yields lead to greater intensity of flavours and leave winemakers wishing they had more.
• The Marlborough Wine Weekend provides a unique opportunity to be the first to try Marlborough’s exciting 2007 vintage.

Marlborough winemakers believe Sauvignon Blanc fans are in for a treat with the release of the 2007 vintage.

A late spring frost last year and cooler than average flowering conditions meant most companies in Marlborough had lower than expected yields. But that’s great news for the consumer, as those lower yields have resulted in more intense flavours.

Glenn Thomas, winemaker for Vavasour and Goldwater Wines, said the Awatere vineyards in particular were hard hit by late frosts, which resulted in smaller crops. “But having less fruit has contributed to very intense flavours in the Sauvignon Blanc,” he said. “I would say this year’s wine would be the best out of the last three years. I rate it very highly.”

Kevin Judd from Cloudy Bay Vineyards agrees saying this year’s Sauvignon Blanc is “as good as we have ever seen it.” He says the wine has great intensity, with very vibrant zingy fruit. “It’s a classic year actually.” Again modest yields resulting from the cool December helped. “We always budget to bring in more fruit than we need, but this year, everything we brought in was very high quality, so we were able to use it all and ended up producing more (wine) than we had hoped for.”

Matt Large, winemaker for Kim Crawford says the quantity across the board is down on previous years, but the quality is not. “It is very similar to last year and that was one of best years in a while.” Perfect conditions during the harvest period allowed winemakers to pick the fruit when it reached optimum flavour levels, with no disease threat.

Even wine critics are upbeat about the ’07 vintage. After tasting 37 new releases, Adam Lechmere from Decanter UK, described the wines as “absolute winners,” with a wide range of delicate fruit flavours and “juicy” acids. “You’ve got soft acids, you’ve got spicy acids but the best ones have acids that carry the fruit right through to the end of the palate and the wine stays with you. They are serious wines.”

While Sauvignon Blanc is the earliest variety to be released, the region’s winemakers are equally excited about other varieties, in particular Pinot Noir, which Kevin Judd describes as looking “excellent.”

“It has just been one of those years, where the flavours across the board are great,” according to Glenn Thomas. “Our Pinot is very good, and our Riesling is very aromatic. We just wish we had more of everything.”

Many of the 2007 wines will be available for tasting at the upcoming Marlborough Wine Weekend, being held from October 26 – 28. To showcase the best the region has to offer in an atmosphere of wine, food and conviviality. With the support of 35 wineries, the exclusive event is expected to attract up to 300 international guests and will highlight Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, tickets are available from www.ticketdirect.co.nz or phone 0800 224 224.

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