Please note that this product is available for pre-order and will be delivered by the end of the week commencing 31st August.
Zephyr Sauvignon Blanc 2023 is a beautifully refined take on Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, combining the region’s unmistakable aromatic energy with a more restrained, mineral and textural personality. Gooseberry, crunchy green apple and grapefruit lead into lime peel, elderflower and nettle, with touches of white pepper and fresh herbs underneath. Rather than relying on explosive tropical fruit, the wine has a distinctly coastal quality, with fine chalky phenolics and a saline edge giving the palate shape and persistence. Crisp acidity keeps everything wonderfully fresh, while time on the fine lees brings a subtle softness through the middle. It is recognisably Marlborough, but with considerably more finesse than the stereotypical style – vibrant, savoury and particularly good at the table.
Zephyr Sauvignon Blanc, Producer
Zephyr is the family wine project of the Glover family, whose connection with Dillons Point in Marlborough stretches back several decades. Owen and Wendy Glover converted their family farm to vineyards during the 1980s, becoming among the early growers to recognise the potential of this coastal corner of the Wairau Valley. Their son Ben Glover subsequently became one of Marlborough’s most experienced winemakers and now leads the family’s Zephyr project.
The name Zephyr refers to the gentle prevailing wind that moves through the vineyards. For Ben Glover, this cooling breeze is an important part of Dillons Point’s identity, moderating temperatures during Marlborough’s sunny growing season and helping the grapes retain freshness and aromatic definition. The family has increasingly focused on organic viticulture, with its Sauvignon Blanc vineyards certified organic.
Zephyr is also deliberately positioned away from the most exaggerated style of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Ben favours wines with acidity, salinity, texture and a strong sense of site rather than simply pushing Sauvignon’s most pungent tropical and herbaceous aromas.
Zephyr Sauvignon Blanc, Terroir & Winemaking
The 2023 Sauvignon Blanc comes from the Brawn Vineyard in Dillons Point, in the lower Wairau Valley. This is one of Marlborough’s most easterly subregions, close enough to the coast for maritime influences to play an important role in the style of the wine. The vineyard’s deep silt soils are particularly associated with aromatic Sauvignon Blanc showing herbal complexity, texture and a distinctive saline quality.
The 2023 growing season was described by Ben Glover as even, dry and particularly well balanced, conditions that suited the family’s established vines. The fruit was machine harvested and fermented cool in stainless-steel tanks using a neutral cultured yeast, keeping the emphasis on purity and vineyard character.
Following fermentation, the wine remained on its fine lees through the winter, adding subtle body and texture without obscuring its Sauvignon Blanc freshness. It was subsequently bottled without fining. This combination of cool fermentation and lees ageing helps explain why the wine feels slightly broader and more savoury than a very simple, overtly fruit-driven Marlborough Sauvignon.
Zephyr Sauvignon Blanc, Tasting Notes
Pale lemon in colour with youthful green reflections. The nose is expressive but beautifully controlled, opening with gooseberry, green apple and grapefruit before revealing lime peel, elderflower and fresh nettle. White peach and subtle tropical fruit sit underneath, joined by a gentle herbal character and a suggestion of sea air.
The palate is light-bodied but surprisingly textural. Grapefruit, lime and crunchy apple are joined by lemongrass and whitecurrant, with a fine chalky phenolic grip giving the wine extra structure. Crisp acidity carries the fruit effortlessly, while the lees ageing contributes a subtle softness through the middle.
Towards the finish, the wine becomes increasingly mineral and saline. Citrus peel, herbs and white pepper linger alongside a mouth-watering salty quality, giving the wine excellent persistence without heaviness.
Zephyr Sauvignon Blanc, Food pairing suggestion: Mussels with Coconut, Lime and Lemongrass
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