Critics reviews
Jancis Robinson - Wine Advocate
About this WINE
Seifried
In 1973 Austrian-born Hermann Seifried and his New Zealand wife Agnes bought land in the Moutere Valley between Nelson and Motueka with the intention of planting strawberries. Fortunately, they planted vines instead. Their first harvest was in 1976. All three Seifried children, Heidi, Christopher and Anna, are now playing their part in growing the family business.
Seifried Estate consists of six vineyard sites in the Nelson region, each planted to different grape varieties according to the soil and climate of the particular site.
The Rabbit Island Vineyards are situated 20km west of Nelson city. Varieties grown here include Sauvignon Blanc,Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. The ‘Redwood Valley’ Vineyard is a 30ha north facing slope on clay soil. Varieties grown here include Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling and Gewürztraminer. This site was first planted in 1979 and now has Sifried’s most established vines producing fruit with fantastic depth, complex flavours and textural components.
On the 70Ha Brightwater Vineyard vines consist of Sauvignon Blanc,Riesling,Gewürztraminer, Grüner Veltliner, Pinot Noir and Zweigelt. The soil on this site ranges from large gravelly areas to light sandy loam soils, which result in a very porous soil structure with little water holding capacity. The newest development is the ‘40Ha Edens Road vineyard, which was established in 2006, and is predominately made up of Sauvignon Blanc and just a small area of Grüner Veltliner and Merlot. Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Noir grapes are planted and the wines display very good varietal character as well as marvellous purity of fruit.
The Sauvignon Blanc Sauvignon Blanc has a classic cool-climate fruit profile, typical of the South Island, with a zestiness and freshness of acidity that balances the ripe, grassy, passionfruit and citrus fruit profile. Seifried Estate is a company devoted to sustainable winegrowing and producing one of the very best expressions of Nelson wines.
Sauvignon Blanc
An important white grape in Bordeaux and the Loire Valley that has now found fame in New Zealand and now Chile. It thrives on the gravelly soils of Bordeaux and is blended with Sémillon to produce fresh, dry, crisp Bordeaux Blancs, as well as more prestigious Cru Classé White Graves.
It is also blended with Sémillon, though in lower proportions, to produce the great sweet wines of Sauternes. It performs well in the Loire Valley and particularly on the well-drained chalky soils found in Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, where it produces bone dry, highly aromatic, racy wines, with grassy and sometimes smoky, gunflint-like nuances.
In New Zealand, Cloudy Bay in the 1980s began producing stunning Sauvignon Blanc wines with extraordinarily intense nettly, gooseberry, and asparagus fruit, that set Marlborough firmly on the world wine map. Today many producers are rivalling Cloudy Bay in terms of quality and Sauvignon Blanc is now New Zealand`s trademark grape.
It is now grown very successfully in Chile producing wines that are almost halfway between the Loire and New Zealand in terms of fruit character. After several false starts, many South African producers are now producing very good quality, rounded fruit-driven Sauvignon Blancs.
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Description
The brisk maritime climate, long sunshine hours and free draining soils of New Zealand's South Island provide ideal conditions for Sauvignon Blanc, and winemaker Hermann Seifried plants his vineyards to ensure that perfect marriage of soil, climate and grape variety known as 'terroir'.
The nose is immediately accessible with notes of gooseberries, wet straw and cordite. The palate is dry and yet generous with notes of mango and pineapple to accompany the citric edge. A wonderful aperitif but equally at home alongside seafood, summer salads or Thai curry.
Tropical aromas mingle with herbal and gooseberry notes on the nose. The palate is light and dry with a lively citrusy character.
Alejandro Noda Vila - London Shop With a focus on provenance, these superlative bottles are classified by commune and highlight the fruitful collaborations between the producers and buyers, creating wines with superb finesse.. Whether from Pomerol or Meusault, Barolo or Gevrey-Chambertin, the design of each label references its region of origin, prominently displaying both the name of the estate and the signature of the buyer.
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