Misha's Vineyard The Starlet Central Otago Sauvignon Blanc 2022

Misha's Vineyard The Starlet Central Otago Sauvignon Blanc 2022"It's brilliantly expressed on the nose showing Granny Smith apple, feijoa, lemongrass and jasmine notes, leading to a powerfully flavoursome palate that's packed with pristine fruit flavours. Wonderfully framed by vibrant acidity, offering terrific drinking. At its best: now to 2029" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Mar 2023 "Theres no mistaking the vibrato, quiver and variety as the bouquet of the wine hits the senses with grapefruit and peach, wild gooseberry

"It's brilliantly expressed on the nose showing Granny Smith apple, feijoa, lemongrass and jasmine notes, leading to a powerfully flavoursome palate that's packed with pristine fruit flavours. Wonderfully framed by vibrant acidity, offering terrific drinking. At its best: now to 2029" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Mar 2023

"There’s no mistaking the vibrato, quiver and variety as the bouquet of the wine hits the senses with grapefruit and peach, wild gooseberry and hay, wild flowers and white spice. On the palate  - crisp and dry, spiced and fruity, saline and fresh, mineral and textured. A delicious wine loaded with flavour and texture, varietal signatures of fruit, herbaceous qualities and reflecting its origins. Best drinking from day of purchase through end of summer 2026" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Apr 2023

"Delicate wine with appealing purity and passionfruit, floral, citrus/lemon zest and subtle savoury characters. Dry, mouthwatering wine with juicy acidity and fine, peppery phenolics" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, May 2023

"Bright, pale straw yellow, even colour throughout. This vibrant bouquet is packed with citrus, pineapple, elderflower, herb and spice aromas. Medium-light bodied, ripe lemon and pineapple aromas entwined with elderflower cordial, basil and white spice. The mouthfeel is smooth with very fine-textured phenolics, almost chalky. The fruit is ripe with excellently balanced acidity, carrying delicate spice to a fleshy finish. This attractively smooth, round-edged Sauvignon Blanc possesses ripe fruit with sweet elderflower floral and spice details" Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Reviews, Apr 2023

Lifted aromatics of citrus, spice, and crushed passionfruit seeds, the fresh palate has a mineral complexity and herbal notes balanced by a floral elderflower sweetness.

Misha’s Vineyard is located on a spectacular site in New Zealand on the edge of Lake Dunstan in the Bendigo sub-region of Central Otago. The sun drenched north-west facing terraces of the 57 hectare estate provide optimal conditions for producing world-class Pinot Noir and aromatic white varieties. Our ‘no compromise’ philosophy requires exacting viticulture regimes, hand-picking, and considerate winemaking methodologies.

Warm temperatures at the start of the season, without the usual buffeting spring winds, resulted in rapid growth, aided by the moist ground from a wet winter. The warmth continued to flowering at the end of November before a cool front slowed growth but it was a good fruit set. January was hot and dry with a few consecutive days over 30°C. Conditions stayed warm for the rest of the season and harvest started at the end of March and continued over the next month. This was a dream season in terms of fruit quality and vine health with yields above the long-term average, and with an even berry size aiding flavour consistency and varietal expression. This season will be remembered as one of the best. This Sauvignon Blanc was hand-picked at an average yield of 6.4 T/ha. Growing Degree Days (GDDs) were 1152.

After a few initial hours of gentle skin contact, the hand-picked fruit was whole bunch pressed to tank for settling. The majority (55%) of the free run and some pressings juice was then racked, inoculated and cool fermented to dryness in stainless steel to retain varietal purity. The remaining portion was fermented in older French oak barrels, using both indigenous vineyard yeast and also using a vineyard sourced “pied de cuve” where a portion of juice is allowed to start fermenting in the vineyard. All these techniques add more texture and complex mineral/flint characters to the wine.

Food Pairing: Sauvignon Blanc is a refreshing dry white wine with our textural style displaying more intense tropical fruit flavours. It’s a wine that can be savoured on its own or enjoyed with food where it’s particularly suited to fresh and grilled seafood, ideal with most appetisers and a perfect match to salads, vegetable dishes or white meats. The best cheese pairings include goat, feta or sharp cheddars.