2022 Rippon Sauvignon Blanc

A zippy, energised Sauvignon Blanc with a tangy feel.

Fifty percent fermented in old French barrels. Brilliant pale straw colour with a watery hue. Nosing offers up a mix of guava, grapefruit and citrus aromas followed by some wet stone and grassy notes. Zippy guava, grapefruit and mandarin flavours carry a tangy feel across the palate. Subtle grassy and flinty mineral elements lie underneath. Crisp acidity energising the tangy finish.
Drink over the next 2-3 years.
Alc. 13%

Other Reviews…..
The vines were planted from 1987 to 1993 on their own roots, unirrigated and biodynamically farmed. The fruit is handpicked, foot-stomped and soaked on skins for up to two days, then pressed to fifty/fifty neutral oak and tank. It goes through wild, ambient ferments, no adjustments, then it sits on lees, unsulfured, for three months prior to bottling.
The 2022 Sauvignon Blanc leads with tatami mat and straw, torched lemongrass and brine. In the mouth, the wine is textural and concentrated—it has a cloth-y aspect, which is evident on the nose, but it sits very well in the mouth. This is savory, throaty and full and kept fresh through the finish by a splay of soft green leaf. There’s beeswax, lemon sherbet and a hint of juniper. 13% alcohol, sealed under Diam. Drink 2023-2032.
94 Points
Erin Larkin – Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate

High lees, old oak.
Here’s a very different expression of NZ Sauvignon. It’s intense and powerful, gooseberry, passionfruit Crème Brûlée, jalapeño, grapefruit and a wild, well funky is maybe a vague term, but something of that nature. It’s spicy and saline, like a lime margarita, distinct sweet passionfruit and cumquat, with firm chalky texture and sizzling grapefruit acid bite, with a salty finish of mouth-watering intensity and fine length. Quite a ride. Drink 2026-2030+
94 Points
Gary Walsh – The Wine Front