"On the nose, the wine is bright and complex, with notes of lychee, mango, white blossoms, tarragon and thyme. The palate is succulent and intricate with flavours of ripe gooseberry, tangerine, and sandalwood. A bright acidity and a hint of saltiness carry through to the generous and textured finish."
Greywacke is the exciting solo venture of Kevin Judd, who was formerly the chief winemaker at Cloudy Bay for 25 vintages, and was instrumental in the international recognition which New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc enjoys today. The name ‘Greywacke’ was adopted by Kevin for his first Marlborough vineyard located in Rapaura in recognition of the high prevalence of rounded greywacke river stones in the soils there.
The debut wine under the Greywacke label was the 2009 vintage with his Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc displaying the hallmarks of Kevin’s famed style: ripe fruit, fine balance, great concentration and superb varietal intensity. Grapes come from prime, low yielding vineyard sites in and around Marlborough’s Southern (Brancott and Ben Morven) Valleys, and are vinified using ‘non-interventionist’ techniques. His range also includes a Wild Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay.
The growing season began with a warm, wet spring which resulted in excellent flowering for all varieties, setting up the vines for excellent crop levels. December and January continued to see warm weather and excellent vineyard growth across the region. Cyclone Dovi arrived in February and dropped 160 mm of rain in three weeks. While this could have been disastrous, the rain coincided with southerly breezes which minimised disease pressure. The Sauvignon Blanc harvest was unusually short as the team had to avoid further rain events, working around the clock to bring all the fruit safely to the winery.
