Rohe Rapaura Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough

The Rohe Rapaura Sauvignon Blanc has vibrant aromas of ripe passionfruit and blackcurrant which follow through to the palate. These intense fruit characters are laced with a vein of gooseberry and herb. This wine is
immediately appealing but will continue to evolve over the next three years.

Rohe Rapaura Sauvignon Blanc

Rohe, meaning territory in Te Reo Māori, is a range of wines created to showcase the unique flavours of Marlborough. Marlborough’s sub-regions are yet to be fully understood, each district offers distinct flavours and aromas. Through crafting wines exclusively from each winemaking sub-region the Rohe range of wines highlight the individual sub-regional flavours and share our perspective of this remarkable region we call home. Made in individual quantities, each bottle features a bespoke illustration of a Marlborough sub-region.

Sub-region

Rapaura is one of the oldest and most recognised sub-regions of Marlborough. The soils are very young, alluvial, Wairau silts, layered over braids of gravel and fed by underground aquifers. The sub-region borders the Wairau River and is renowned for producing ripe, aromatic Sauvignon Blanc.

Tasting Notes

Vibrant aromas of ripe passionfruit and blackcurrant follow through to the palate. These intense fruit characters are laced with a vein of gooseberry and herb.

Winemaking Notes

The 2021 vintage was one of the earliest and shortest on record. The growing season was the third in a series of drought vintages, the stress on the vines was compounded by a huge wind run. The combination of some early frost events and a poor flowering resulted in lower yields and smaller bunches than usual. This, combined with the dry conditions, has meant that disease levels are incredibly low this year, resulting in better flavours and pristine fruit with good concentration. After harvest, the Rapaura Sauvignon Blanc was gently pressed before individual parcels were batch fermented in stainless steel with selected yeast strains to retain the vibrant fruit characters unique to this sub-region. Once fermentation was complete, the wine was racked, stabilised and filtered before bottling.

Cellaring Recommendation

This wine is immediately appealing but will continue to drink well for the next three years.

2021 Tasting Note