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Mt Beautiful 2008 Sauvignon Blanc

The wine I have chosen this week one of my favourite Montana wines, the Brancott ‘B’ Sauvignon Blanc. It is the flagship of Montana’s Sauvignon Blanc range, and rightly so. It belongs to Montana’s letter series range, which is hand harvested and centred on grapes grown in Montana’s very best vineyards. The wines in this series are not just crafted to reflect the flavours of the region but also the fine art of winemaking.

The Brancott ‘B’ Sauvignon Blanc is therefore a good wine to accompany a special celebration.

It wasn’t a great start to the 2008 vintage however, with budbursts in Marlborough being later than the past few seasons. Marlborough also had the windiest October since records began (albeit in 1991). The weather did improve and in November and December, the weather was warm and sunny for the flowering period. This resulted in optimal fruit set and ensured a bountiful harvest in April. Bunch numbers were lower than normal, but each bunch had more berries.

Unusually, rain arrived right at the best times over Christmas and in January to ensure healthy canopies. February came and went without incident, then in March, the region had above average temperatures, causing the vintage to progress quickly and reach its peak a week to ten days earlier than usual. Harvest started in the second week of March and continued until unseasonal rain in April led to the quick harvest of the last fruit to ensure the winery received fruit of optimum quality.

Once at the winery, the grapes were crushed and gently bag pressed off to achieve fresh, clean juice. The juice was then fermented slowly at cool temperatures to retain that distinctive regional and varietal character that Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is known for. The use of only free run juice also adds to the wine’s elegance and complexity. Surprisingly, Montana though has not just used fruit from the Brancott vineyard. A small amount of fruit from the nearby Awatere Valley was also used to give the wine an intense aromatic lift.

I noticed this wine has a bouquet of blackcurrant and gooseberry with savoury notes and a hint of olives. On the palate, the Brancott ‘B’ is a weighty and rich wine with gooseberry and blackberry blending well with ripe stonefruit flavours and fresh capsicum. There are also notes of fresh herbs and the wine has a crisp acidity. It is everything I expected.

This wine should cellar well for up to three years, and when you enjoy it, I would recommend trying the Brancott ‘B’ with grilled Salmon.

Reviewed by Stephen Clark (9/2/2009)
 

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