Astrolabe Kēkerengū Coast
Sauvignon Blanc
2023
The story of the Kēkerengū Coast Sauvignon Blanc is really defined by where it is: outside of the typical bounds of Marlborough. It is grown on limestone soils, which are not seen in the Wairau or Awatere Valleys. Kēkerengū is a narrow stretch between sea and mountain, and its extreme maritime climate has a profound influence on the wine, with an early budburst and late harvest. This combination of different soil and climate from the rest of Marlborough gives a very unique expression of sauvignon blanc.
The Astrolabe Valleys Kēkerengū Coast Sauvignon Blanc is made from grapes grown at two vineyards in the Kēkerengū Coast sub-region, on Marlborough’s Southern Coast. Neutral wine yeast strains allow the powerful fruit flavours to dominate. A portion of hand-picked, high grape solids and wild barrel ferment wine was blended in to add subtle texture and complexity.
All my wines tend to be on the dry end, but this one is absolutely crystalline, bone dry — nothing left. It has a lovely briny, salty, savoury finish as a result, which speaks a bit about the sea nearby. It’s a great wine with oysters on the half shell, and it’s a wine that really appeals to a lot of people around the world that would normally profess not to be huge Marlborough sauvignon drinkers and may have more European drinking sensibilities. We love it because it’s so unique. It’s a briny, flavoursome, very intense, beautiful wine.
Simon Waghorn — Winemaker
TASTING NOTES
COLOUR/APPEARANCE
Pale straw with green highlights.
AROMA/BOUQUET
Citrus pith, lime and grapefruit zest and hints of jasmine tea, fennel and basil.
PALATE
A medium-bodied wine with flinty, almost salty notes, passionfruit flavours and a dry finish.
AGING POTENTIAL
This wine is enjoyable in its youth but will develop soundly in bottle.
FOOD PAIRING
Raw oysters, tempura vegetables, delicate white fish like flounder and crayfish with lemongrass.
SAUVIGNON BLANC SERVING TEMPERATURE
Chilled.
2022 vintage
95 POINTS
"Complex and floral, saline and fruity, distinctive with a sense of place display. A focused, fruity, araietal and enticing wine with flavours and textures of grapefruit flesh and apple, lemon rind and wild seaside flowers. A line of savoury salty air textures layer in on the palate with a seagrass and roasted bell-pepper quality, fresh red apple and plenty of acidity. Fresh and lively, new and lengthy. Best drinking from late 2023 through 2029." NOV 22
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Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier
2021 vintage
95 POINTS
"Delicately aromatic sauvignon blanc with restrained citrus, grapefruit, passionfruit, saline and oyster-shell characters. A wonderfully pure wine with subtle power and a lingering finish. A perfect balance of fruity acidity breathes life and energy into the wine. Drink 2022 to 2026." APR 22
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Bob Campbell, Master of Wine
The Real Review © The Real Review
2020
93 POINTS
"There's beautiful precision to this white, which offers yuzu, pomelo and Fuji apple flavors that are crisp and focused, with notes of green tea and white pepper, plus a hint of crunchy sea salt that lingers on the fresh finish. Drink now." JUN 22
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MaryAnn Worobiec
Wine Spectator
2019
5 STARS
“Grown at Kekerengu, south of the Awatere Valley, the distinctive 2019 vintage was mostly handled in tanks, but 20 per cent of the blend was fermented in old oak casks. Well worth discovering, it is a highly individual wine, light lemon/green, mouthfilling and lively, with delicate, ripely herbaceous flavours, crisp and long. Finely poised, with a real sense of youthful drive, it should be at its best mid-2021+. Drink 2020-2026"
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Michael Cooper
New Zealand Wines: Michael Cooper’s Buyer’s Guide 2021
Appellation Marlborough Wine AMW
Sustainably certified SWNZ
Vegan