Region: Waihopai Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand

Varietal: 100% Sauvignon Blanc

Tasting notes: Aromas of citrus flower, lemon zest, grapefruit and white peach. The palate has a tightly wound core of white fruits, citrus skin, dill and green melon. The fine acid structure provides a long, invigorating finish. Ripe fruit flavors from a warm vintage will help the wine cellar well for at least 3-5 years from harvest date.

Producer: Bryan and Jan Johnson established the first of their 380 acres of estate vineyards in 1993. Pioneering what was then a Marlborough sub region, the Johnsons’ Lower Waihopai development continued, with the fruit being grown and sold to other wine companies. In 2000, they began producing and selling wine under the Spy Valley label, its name derived from a nearby satellite communications monitoring station (or spy base).

Vineyard and Winemaking: Not just a single vineyard, but a single block. The E Block Sauvignon Blanc comes from the Johnson Vineyard E Block, in Waihopai Valley, which has alluvial stony silt loams and very well drained, silt lenses. The vines were planted in 1995 with clones UCD1. The trellis system used is vertical shoot positioning. Shoot and bunch thinning are used to restrict yield. Selected rows of E Block were harvested over a short period (March 28th–31st), and gently pressed to ferment in stainless steel tanks and several barrels. After 7 months on fine lees, the small components were blended prior to bottling.