Written by Matt Patterson-Green, Winemaker.
Most people picture a single wine when they hear the name Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Set regional differences aside, and there are really four styles of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. No other country makes the grape quite the way New Zealand does. At Jackson Estate, we make three of them, and which wine lands among the four comes down to two things. How old the vines are, and the choices made in the winery.
The classic style that made Marlborough famous
The classic style is the young and aromatic one. It is picked to hold its lift and fermented cool and clean, so the fruit does the talking. Passionfruit and gooseberry, sometimes a note of cut grass, all carried by a bright line of acidity. For most people this is where Sauvignon Blanc begins, and it is a lovely place to begin. The other three styles show where the grape can travel from here. At Jackson Estate, our take on this style is a mature one, which brings us to the Stich.
Textured and older-vine: our Stich
As Sauvignon vines age, the wine they give you changes. Our Stich comes from vines that are now well over 30 years old, and with that age the style grows up. It moves away from the primary punch and into stone fruit, white peach, and white nectarine, with plenty of citrus and a softer line of acidity that leaves the wine textured and layered. It is still unmistakably Sauvignon Blanc, just with more to say for itself. If you want the fuller picture of how old vines change the wine, I have written up the story behind our old-vine Sauvignon Blanc Stich.
Wild-fermented in the tank: our Somerset vineyard
Our Somerset single vineyard is where winemaking begins to take the lead. It is a clone of Sauvignon Blanc from Bordeaux that is not commonly planted in Marlborough, and it carries a lot of minerality alongside its primary citrus fruit. We let it ferment on wild yeast rather than adding a cultured one to drive it. That gives the wine texture and a bit of welcome craziness in the early days. Once the ferment is partway through, we inoculate it (add yeast) so it finishes clean and bright. The wine then rests on its lees for an extended time and stays in the winery for 16 months before we bottle it. All the time on lees builds the fatness and texture you taste.
Barrel-fermented like a Chardonnay: our Grey Ghost
Our Grey Ghost is the furthest from what people expect, because we treat it like a Chardonnay. It is hand-harvested and whole-bunch pressed, then fermented entirely in French oak on wild yeast, with lots of lees stirring in the barrels and half the barrels undergoing malolactic (a second fermentation that softens acidity and adds texture). It spends 16 months in barrel, then a further two to three years in bottle before we release it. With that time, it develops notes of fresh farm cheese, earthy gunpowder, and lovely white peach and nectarine sitting underneath. It is an old-world style made with new-world fruit, and it is the wine closest to my heart.
Where to start if you think you don't like Sauvignon Blanc
I hear this a lot, and my honest reply is a question back. Which Sauvignon Blanc have you actually tried? To my mind, saying you do not like Sauvignon is a little like saying you do not like music. There are so many different styles that most people have not yet found the one that suits them. So it usually comes down to finding your fit. If you love bright, fresh wines, start with Stich, which retains that freshness while adding the texture of older vines. If you are more of a Chardonnay drinker, go straight to the Grey Ghost. It is made much like a Chardonnay, so you get the lees richness and the texture, and more than one person has told me it does not taste like Sauvignon Blanc at all.
Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc: common questions
Is Sauvignon Blanc sweet or dry?
Almost always dry, and ours are dry. The impression of sweetness that some people notice comes from the aromatics, all that ripe passion fruit and gooseberry, rather than from sugar in the glass. A classic Marlborough Sauvignon is crisp and dry, with fruit generous enough that it can read as sweeter than it really is.
Can Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc age?
The classic fresh style is meant to be enjoyed while it is young. The older-vine and barrel-fermented styles are a different matter. Both the Stich and the Grey Ghost gain complexity with a few years in the bottle, and the Grey Ghost in particular is built to develop. We have bottles of Grey Ghost dating back 20 years that still look fantastic.
Why doesn't the Grey Ghost taste like Sauvignon Blanc?
Because it is made like a Chardonnay. Fermenting in barrel on wild yeast, stirring the lees and allowing malolactic all shape the wine as much as the grape does. The Sauvignon character is still there beneath the surface, but it arrives wrapped in texture and complexity that most people do not associate with the variety.
What does "wild ferment" mean?
It means letting the wild yeasts already on the fruit and in the winery start the ferment, rather than adding a cultured yeast to drive it. It is less predictable, and it builds interest and character. We use it on both the Somerset and the Grey Ghost.
None of these four styles is right or wrong. They are simply different ways of telling the story of our vineyards. To find the one that fits you, explore our Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, or get in touch and we will help you to the right bottle.
