Jackson Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2003 Pale straw with green hints. A bouquet of ripe passion fruit, pineapple, gooseberry and redcurrant, underpinned by a fresh herbaceousness. The ripe gooseberry and passion fruit flavours combine with a fresh, zesty acidity to give a well-balanced palate with good length. There is good concentration and weight from the ripeness of the fruit making this wine a typical representation of top quality Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc from a worthy vintage. [ Food Match ] Great with Asian style dishes, white meat, vegetable dishes and seafood, particularly shellfish. [ Winemakers Notes ] Late November frosts were clearly a problem – coolest spring in 30 years following a mild winter which encouraged early bud burst resulting in low crop levels. Coolish summer and a little rain at the end, but the fruit came in at a high standard. A difficult year! Fruit from the major vineyards was fermented separately with a variety of neutral yeast strains. Average fermentation period was 2.5 weeks after which the wine was racked off gross fermentation lees. Three weeks later the wine was blended, stabilised and filtered in preparation for bottling. [ Cellaring ] Drink now through 2004 while still young and vibrant. [ Technical Details ] Alcohol: 13 | pH: 3.19 | Residual Sugar: 3.6g/l | Total Acidity: 7.5g/l