The 2023 Estate Sauvignon Blanc has an attractive nose of zesty lemon and passionfruit tied together with layers of fresh, herbaceous characters. The palate has wonderful fruit concentration with mineral undertones and is balanced by a fresh acidity.
100% Sauvignon Blanc
ABV 13%
Vegan
From parcels on two of the best Lawson's Dry Hills vineyards, the blend is a 25/75% split between the Awatere and Waihopai Valley blocks. The grapes are grown on only two or three canes (as opposed to the usual four for Marlborough), which means crop levels are strictly managed to ensure texture, weight and flavour intensity.
2023 was a near perfect growing season for Sauvignon Blanc. Good weather at flowering ensured good, but not excessive, potential crop levels and a long, sunny growing season followed. During harvest there was no pressure from inclement weather, so each block was picked as it reached optimum ripeness and flavour. The grapes were gently pressed before being fermented in stainless steel tanks with selected cultured yeast, while a small amount was fermented with wild yeast in old French barriques. This added a little complexity and texture and softens the overall acidity.
Food Match: Seafood, shellfish, salads, feta, goat cheese, fresh herbs, Vietnamese-style dishes, garlic prawns, light Thai dishes or enjoy just as a refreshing glass of expressive, stylish Sauvignon Blanc!
Drinks Business Sauvignon Blanc Masters 2023 – Gold medal.
“Pristine and instantly appealing, the wine showing green rock melon, fresh fig and lime zest aromas, leading to a wonderfully expressive palate that’s filled with succulent fruit flavours, finishing long and refreshing.
At its best now to 2026” Wine Orbit/Sam Kim – Five stars, 93 points (November 2023)
LAWSON'S DRY HILLS
The original company vineyard was planted in 1982 by Ross and Barbara Lawson, who launched the Lawson’s Dry Hills label some ten years later, in 1992. Today, the company’s wines include Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and their famous Gewürztraminer, all made from fruit grown in the Wairau, Waihopai, Omaka and Awatere Valleys. These different regions and carefully selected vineyard sites provide varying characteristics derived from the different soils and microclimates, giving many options when it comes to blending.
Wairau Valley: Defined by its proximity to the 170 km-long Wairau River running from the mountains to the ocean, it offers cooler, drier, barren and stony sites with pockets of clay. Wines from our Wairau sites give us tropical, passionfruit and citrus components together with a succulent, juicy character.
Southern Valleys: Originating from glacial outwash, these predominantly loam soils are moderately stony over clay deposits, resulting in low vine vigour. The wines are of greater concentration and depth of flavour, enhanced by the greater range of temperatures resulting in the grapes able to stay on the vines for longer.
Awatere Valley: The silty loam, river terrace soils are free-draining, glacial gravel and wind-borne loess over shallow, stony clay. Diverse stone materials contribute to the mineral tones in the wines while the lack of underground water limits vigour and yield, resulting in ripe, intense fruit characters.
SUSTAINABILITY: Lawson's Dry Hills is a carbonzero certified winery and currently the only New Zealand wine producer to hold both ISO14001 (Environmental Management) and ISO14064 (carbonzero) accreditations.
SENIOR WINEMAKER: Marcus Wright
Marcus’s love of good wine came from friends passionate about NZ’s Wine Options competition. He joined them for various tastings and then competed as part of the team. In 1997 he worked with Montana as a cellar hand during vintage and then as their Cellarmaster. He then headed to South America to work the 2000 vintage in Chile for Vina San Pedro, in the Central Valley. Next was the Loire Valley, France for vintage with the highly-respected Jacques Lurton, making white wines including Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc. Marcus started with Lawson’s Dry Hills in 2001 and continues to enjoy producing a number of wine styles from the company’s vineyards.
THE FOUNDERS: Ross and Barbara Lawson
The original company vineyard was planted on Blenheim’s Alabama Road in 1982 by Ross and Barbara Lawson. At this stage they sold the fruit to other producers, before launching their own label, Lawson’s Dry Hills, in 1992. Ross wore many hats during his lifetime: musterer, sheep-shearer, swimming pool/building contractor, opossum hunter, union organiser and of course viticulturist. He was a leading influence in the New Zealand Screwcap Wineseal Initiative in 2001, which saw screwcaps used on 90% of New Zealand bottled wine by 2008. These diverse skills together with a never-ceasing quest for perfection helped shape Lawson’s Dry Hills into the successful wine company it is today. Sadly Ross passed away after losing his battle with cancer in early 2009. Barbara was a theatre nurse at Wairau Hospital and for many years managed the marketing and promotion of the company and its wines alongside her ‘day job’. She has always been an enthusiastic ambassador for the company, travelling far and wide. Her favourite two markets were always Ireland, where she loved the legendary hospitality, and Rarotonga where she has a house and spends much of her time. There’s barely a bar or restaurant on the island without Lawson’s Dry Hills!
OWNERS: Tim and Pauline Evill
Tim has always spent as much time as possible in New Zealand, in 1995 he and his wife Pauline bought the Public Trust building in Blenheim and created the Hotel d’Urville. Here he met Ross Lawson and together they began buying vineyards around Marlborough. After so many years in partnership with Ross and Barbara, it seemed only natural for Tim and Pauline to eventually buy the Lawson family shares when Barbara chose to retire.
