Winemaker’s Notes:
Sauvignon Blanc has been growing at Rosehall Run since 2001. The original planting consisted of experimental plantings of several varietals in our North Block which was affectionately dubbed, the ‘Toy Box.’ When Dan decided to take the plunge and start growing Sauvignon Blanc in earnest in 2013, it was with the knowledge of a dozen years of history as a guide. Today we have a total of a bit over an acre planted in our West Block and North Block.
What sets our County Sauvignon Blanc apart from the style of Sauvignon Blanc typically found commercially is the place and the approach. Sauvignon Blanc is a vigorous vine – we have tempered that somewhat with low vigour rootstocks and particularly rocky low vigour soils. Yields rarely top out at more than 3T/Acre, (45 hL/hA), which is about half the production of a typical New Zealand planting. Even a large crop at Rosehall Run is conservative by the standards of Sancerre, which permits up to 60 hL/hA. If you are to characterize our Sauvignon Blanc in a word, it is ‘intense.’
