The name Kevid Judd may ring a bell somewhere: he was at the helm of Cloudy Bay for 25 years as co-founder and winemaker. As early as 1993, he claimed the name ‘Greywacke’ (after the gray sandstone that is common in the soil of Marlborough), but it wasn't until 2009 that he produced his first vintage.
Judd does not own any vineyards. He uses fruit from various winegrowers in the region and leases equipment. His credo is ‘stick to what you know’. And he knows the vineyards of these fellow winemakers like the back of his hand. Although his wines do not carry the organic label, most of the grapes are grown organically. In addition, it is important to Judd and his team that the wines are made with as little intervention as possible. In many cases, this means spontaneous fermentation using indigenous yeasts, giving the wines a typical personality and individuality. Maturity, subtlety, and a high degree of drinking pleasure in the wines are what the Greywacke team has in mind. And as far as we are concerned, they have succeeded.
The grapes for this Sauvignon Blanc come mainly from vineyards in the Southern Valley, where there is a lot of greywacke in the soil. The grapes were harvested at night, in cool to cold conditions, to preserve the distinctive New Zealand aromas as much as possible. Light pressing yielded a modest amount of high-quality juice. Part of the juice was fermented in stainless steel tanks and part underwent spontaneous fermentation in old wooden barrels.
This is a typical New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc that is at the same time not typical. It bursts out of your glass, but with a finesse and elegance that you rarely encounter. Ripe notes of kiwi, passion fruit, mango, and cut grass, and a perfectly balanced acidity. Delicious as an aperitif or with a summer fruit salad.
