Downes Sanctuary Peak Sauvignon Blanc 2020
Like many in the trade, we’re huge Riesling lovers and the thing we really love in great Riesling (the length, focus, precision and drive on the palate) is the very element we miss in most Sauv Blancs. We find the typical aromatic and flavor spectrum of the typical Kiwi SB to be very abrupt and we find many of those wines lean in the mid palate. Consequently, we often find the back palate acid structures to be unnecessarily aggressive. So when Stuart and James Downes told us they were making SB that a Riesling drinker would appreciate, they had our attention. Sauv Blanc in Elgin can often be a bit green and vegetal. Most attempts to build the mid palate of these wines result in an overly pungent version of that aromatic component. By
using a tiny amount of barrel fermented and aged SB, they’re able to create a wine with great length and raciness, drawing out these wonderful mineral notes, but with plenty of power and richness in the mid palate. Production is around 2500 cases.
91 points Tim Atkins
88 points The Wine Advocate
The grapes are chilled to 37 degrees F. The bunches are sorted on a conveyor, destemmed and crushed. All transfers of grape must and juice in these early stages are attained using gravity. Selected parcels of the grapes undergo a period of skin contact, at 46 degrees F to impart favorable skin flavors. After a gentle pressing, the juice left to settle for a period of 72 hours at 35 degrees F. Fermentation in stainless steel tanks continues at 54 degrees F, until the wine is dry. The 6% Sauvignon Blanc is fermented on natural yeasts and matured for 3 months in 100% new French oak and bâtonnage (lees stirring) practiced fortnightly. The SB 316 & 317 clones are originally sourced from Bordeaux in France. All these clones are able to handle barrel fermentation or maturation in barrel. They lend themselves to more classic complex wines with great length. The goal is to create depth and mid-palate texture, as well as length.
