2019 Te Koko Sauvignon Blanc
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Back after two years of absence (the quality was not judged good enough to create Te Koko in 2017 and 2018), the 2019 Sauvignon Blanc Te Koko reflects the more precise viticulture and pared-back winemaking now going on at Cloudy Bay. From full malo and heaps of new oak, there's now just 8% new, 52% malo and 11 months on lees in the 2019, finishing in more reductive environment of tanks and cuves rather than bottles, which creates a more defined wine. The result is a savory, plush expression that expands in the mouth. It has a delightful creamy texture yet finishes with fine tension. Gone are the days of blowsy Te Koko. This has delightful acidity, smoky notes, hazelnut, pear and nougat on the long finish.
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Jancis Robinson MW
Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous
Altre recensioni e punteggi
Full screwcapped bottle 1,338 g. The first release of this wine since 2016. Earliest-ever end to harvest, on 2 April. Based on older vines on the Wairau Valley floor. Juice was settled for 24 hours and then racked directly to French oak barrels, 8% new for fermentation 'initiated by indigenous yeasts'. Slow fermentation lasted four or five months and the wine was then left on fine lees for 11 months prior to blending and then final pre-bottling aging in less oxidative vessels: tank, concrete and large wooden vats. TA 7.0 g/l, RS 3.2 g/l, pH 3.0. Pale straw yellow. The lightest of oak notes on the nose but real texture underneath. I wonder what volume of this wine is made? It has much more delicacy than most white Pessac Léognans, for which the team should be credited, though it's definitely not as interesting as, say Ch Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc (at twice the price). Much, much subtler nowadays than some of the earlier vintages, though arguably the gustatory difference between this and the unoaked regular Cloudy Bay has been narrowing. I don't think I'd pay £40 for it. (JR)