Churton Sauvignon Blanc 2023

Churton is a 50 hectare farm in the southern hills of Marlborough, about half of which is now under vine. Sam and Mandy Weaver are Churton’s founders, and long before it was fashionable, they approached the farm and the vineyard with strong ecological values. The vineyard has been organic since the beginning in 1997, and is managed with biodynamic principles.

They produce hand-harvested Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir as well as small quantities of Viognier and Petit Manseng. They focus on these four grape varieties, as they believe they are best suited to the undulating hillside vineyard with its north-east aspect, clay soils and specific microclimate.

Their wine making is based on minimal intervention, and patience. All wines undergo a slow, natural fermentation before resting on lees and spending time in bottle.

The fruit was sourced from Churton’s organically farmed Waihopai Valley vineyard, planted in 2000. Grapes were hand-harvested, with each block picked separately. Then whole-bunch pressed, and settled for 12 hours prior to racking to a combination of tank and barrel (50/50). Fermentation was long and slow and the various blocks were fermented separately and aged on lees for 9 months prior to racking and blending.