Greywacke, Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc

Greywacke was created in 2009 by Kevin Judd, chief winemaker at Cloudy Bay from its inception for 25 years and instrumental in the international recognition which Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc enjoys now. 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 of the vineyard, a sedimentary rock that is widely found in Marlborough. Kevin Judd is also New Zealand’s finest wine photographer and has recently published a book ‘The Landscape of New Zealand Wine’.

VINEYARDS

The fruit was sourced from prime vineyards in Marlborough’s Southern Valleys and the central Wairau Plains (specifically Woodbourne, Renwick and Rapaura). Soil types vary from the young alluvial soils of Rapaura and Renwick, which contain high proportions of New Zealand’s ubiquitous greywacke river stones, to the older and denser clay-loams of the Southern Valleys. Most of the vineyards were trained using the divided Scott Henry canopy management system, with the balance on a two- or three-cane vertical shoot positioning trellis.

VINTAGE

Overall 2020 was slightly warmer than average and delivered superb quality across all varieties. The season had a nervous start with some frost in early October, but the rest of spring saw typical conditions. Whether through flowering was settled and the fruit set was very good. December saw significant rainfall, but this was followed by the driest period in nearly eighty years. After the extremely dry and sunny summer, the weather during the ripening period cooled, extending the growing season and producing near-perfect conditions to achieve ripe fruit whilst retaining excellent intensity and acidity. On 24th March New Zealand entered lockdown due to Covid-19. Fortunately, the team were able to work as a big family isolation bubble, and despite the uncertain beginnings, the harvest functioned efficiently, in the face of very challenging circumstances.