2023 Greywacke Wild Ferment Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough

Creamy vanilla oak is wrapped in layers around a well-defined core of green apple, grapefruit and wet stone flavours. The palate has subtlety and elegance, yet also lovely definition, provided by carefully measured acidity which creates an impression of length and linearity. Despite the oak being noticeable, it sinks below the complex fruit, letting the wine finish with stony persistence rather than woodiness 13 Oct 2025 Drink 2025–2030

94 points Stephen Wong MW therealreview.com

Greywacke Wild Ferment Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough is one of the most distinctive and textural white wines in New Zealand, crafted by Kevin Judd, the legendary founding winemaker of Cloudy Bay and now the creative force behind Greywacke. This cuvée is a completely different take on Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, born from Judd’s desire to show the grape in a more complex, layered and Bordeaux inspired style. The fruit comes from mature vineyards in the Southern Valleys and Wairau Valley where deep greywacke river stones, loam and clay soils deliver ripeness, perfume and structure. These parcels are harvested a touch later than for classic Sauvignon Blanc to capture richer fruit and deeper phenolic expression.

The hallmark of Wild Ferment is its winemaking. Grapes are whole bunch pressed and fermented with indigenous yeasts in old French oak barrels, many of which are neutral, to encourage texture, savoury depth and a soft oxidative edge. Ferments can take months to finish, driven naturally by ambient yeasts. The wine then ages on lees with stirring to build creaminess while maintaining tension. This slow, wild, barrel based approach gives the wine its smoky, flinty, layered personality and has made it one of Marlborough’s most respected alternative styles.

In the glass it shows a pale straw colour. The nose is wonderfully complex with ripe nectarine, white peach, lemon curd and passionfruit layered over flint smoke, struck match, wild herbs and cracked stone. Beneath the fruit sit savoury notes of lanolin, toasted almond, beeswax and gentle spice from barrel fermentation. As it opens, citrus blossom, fennel, guava and subtle honeyed tones emerge, giving the bouquet remarkable depth and nuance.

The palate is textural, concentrated and beautifully balanced. Vibrant citrus and stone fruit glide across a creamy yet taut mid palate shaped by long lees contact. Flavours of lemon, peach, grapefruit pith and subtle tropical hints interweave with flinty minerality, smoky complexity and a faint nutty richness. Acidity is bright and pure, carrying the wine through a long, savoury, slightly saline finish with lingering citrus, herbs and gentle oak spice. It has the ageing potential of a fine white Bordeaux, easily developing for five to eight years with more honey, toast and waxy depth.

Pair it with seared scallops, roast chicken with tarragon, buttery lobster, miso glazed salmon, creamy pasta with herbs, goat cheese, grilled asparagus, mushroom dishes or rich seafood. Its combination of tension and texture makes it one of Marlborough’s great food wines.