Astrolabe Waihopai Valley, Marlborough

Astrolabe's vineyard sits in the heart of the spectacular Waihopai Valley. This is vintage Marlborough wine terrain. Hot summers' days are followed by cool nights. The ground is stony, the river waters pure. The Result? Rich, fully-ripened grapes with crisp, clean and intense flavours. With these superb Marlborough grapes, harvested from their co-owned 90 acre vineyard and from other select local vineyards, winemaker Simon Waghorn crafts wines of exceptional quality. Simon's knowledge is complemented by respected Vineyard Manager Jeff Hammond, with dedicated viticultural support from Jeremy Hyland. Sauvignon Blanc makes up 70% of production, Chardonnay 20%, with 10% each of Gewurztraminer and Riesling. The 2003 vintage saw the first production of Pinot Gris (250 cases) and Pinot Noir (500 cases). Simon chose the name "Astrolabe" because he liked the historic connection with Marlborough and the connotations of exploration and adventure. L'Astrolabe was the mighty ship sailed by French explorer Dumont D'Urville through the Marlborough Sounds in the early 19th century. The ship itself took its name from a navigational instrument used to discover the position of the stars. Astrolabe's "A" motif is an abstraction of the instrument.

Astrolabe Sauvignon Blanc 2007 This wine is made solely from Sauvignon Blanc (many have up to 10% Semillon added) and comes from multiple vineyards in Awatere, Waihopai, Wairau and Brancott valleys of the district of Marlborough. The fruit was lightly pressed with minimal skin contact. The clear, cold-settled juice was fermented in stainless steel vats at low temperature using a neutral wine yeast strain to allow the powerful fruit flavours to dominate. This is a stunning example of the traditional New Zealand Sauvignon style. This impressively balanced wine possesses a ripe bouquet of elderflower, gooseberry and passionfruit. The palate is broad and lush with elderflower and gooseberry perfectly balanced by an almost Loire like flinty acidity. A natural match for many seafoods, salads and lighter chicken dishes. "If there's a wine destined to become the next cult favourite it's this one....beg, borrow, and blackmail if you have to in order to get your hands on this phenomenal wine...." 5 stars - Yvonne-Marie Lorkin, Hawke's Bay Weekend August 5, 2006 "Grassy gooseberries and green capsicum. Residual sugar? Full bodied with lime and gooseberry. Long passionfruit finish. From 2008." 3 stars, Decanter June 2008 Visit Astrolabe All wines are available by the unmixed case to Licensees and Private Consumers, subject to availability. Read the small print for more information.