Blank Canvas Abstract Three Rows Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2023
An alternative expression of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc with a focus on texture and layers of aromatic complexity. The wine has an intense backbone of blackcurrant, white florals, and a signature savouriness. The palate boasts toasty flavours and smoky complexity creating a wine with elegance and beautiful balance.
The fruit came from a single vineyard in the Dillons Point sub-region located on the coastal fringe of the Wairau Valley. This vineyard belongs to the Holdaway family who have been farming in Marlborough since 1864. They practise sustainable viticulture with such things as their own compost and mulching preparations to maintain organic matter in the soil. The soils are fertile and deep but well-drained, with plenty of mineral nutrients which is ideal for Sauvignon. Unusually this parcel is dry farmed, so the roots go deep, maintaining vigour via the pure underground aquifers. The vineyard is VSP-trained and cane-pruned with wild-sown cover crops for extra organic matter and biodiversity.
The grapes were hand-harvested and whole-bunch pressed. Only the free run juice went into three to five-year-old French oak puncheons (500L) without any settling. The wine was left to ferment naturally with indigenous yeasts. It was not stirred throughout the time in oak. This vintage did undergo natural malolactic fermentation. Maturation in these seasoned oak puncheons took place over 15 months before being bottled without filtration.
| RRP | £35.99 |
| Bottle size | 75cl |
| Vintage | 2023 |
| Alcoholic strength | 13.5% |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Marlborough |
| Grapes | Sauvignon Blanc 100% |
| Vegetarian | Yes |
| Vegan | Yes |
| Organic | No |
| Biodynamic | No |
| Closure | Stelvin Lux |
Founded in 2012, Blank Canvas is a collaboration between Master of Wine Sophie Parker-Thomson and award-winning winemaking consultant Matt Thomson. Over 45 years of collective experience, in the global wine industry, has enabled them to seek out exceptional single vineyards, while their mutual love of the world’s fine wines has formed the inspiration for Blank Canvas. Together they craft exciting, small batch wines that are at the forefront of New Zealand’s fine wine scene.
Although they work with vineyards and growers across New Zealand, Blank Canvas’ focus is firmly rooted in their home region of Marlborough. Sophie is the current Chair of Appellation Marlborough Wine™ (AMW), and Blank Canvas is a founding member of this first-of-its-kind New World organisation. Promoting and upholding quality standards for its members, and the wines certified each year, ensures consumers are guaranteed a Marlborough wine of provenance, quality and authenticity. The Blank Canvas range of single-vineyard Marlborough wines highlight the nuances between Marlborough’s diverse subregions, which are delineated in the AMW Wine Map of Marlborough.
