The Paper Nautilus Sauvignon Blanc

The Paper Nautilus Sauvignon Blanc bottle image

Wine Description

The Paper Nautilus illustrates an alternative style to the classic expression of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Over 30 years’ experience with this variety have led us to favour palate weight, texture and length in the Nautilus Sauvignon Blanc. The Paper Nautilus takes this one step further.

Paper Nautilus shells are wafer-thin with beautiful geometry and texture. They often wash up on secluded beaches in the Marlborough Sounds.  

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Acclaim
Full disclosure, I love this cuvée. Oak is so commonly used to express a more complex side of Sauvignon Blanc, but it is so often applied with a heavy hand. In my opinion, the oak is best applied with the desired endgame being an increase in structure, loosening of texture and complexing of character. Here, in this 2023 The Paper Nautilus Sauvignon Blanc, the large-format oak has done just this. While the fruit is able to express itself fully, the oak contributes a toasty edge to the wine. The acidity is on the lemon spectrum, the fruit speaks of kiwi fruit, feijoa, white strawberries and even a hint of cassis, and everything comes together with class in the end. — Wine Advocate, Dec 2024
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Vineyard & Production Info
Vineyard name
Renwick
Vineyard size
18 acres
Soil composition
Stony
Training method
VSP
Elevation:
130 feet
Vines/acre:
880
Yield/acre:
4 tons
Exposure:
Northern
Year vineyard planted:
1992
Harvest time:
April
First vintage of this wine:
2015
Bottles produced of this wine:
3,600
Average Vine Age:
25
Certified Vineyards:
All vineyards certified under Sustainable winegrowing New Zealand
Certifying Organizations:
New Zealand Winegrowers
Sustainability Certification:
SWNZ
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Winemaking & Aging
Varietal composition:
100% Sauvignon Blanc
Length of alcoholic fermentation:
20 days
Fermentation temperature:
65 °F
Maceration technique:
Sur-Lie Aging
Fining agent:
Vegan
Type of aging container:
Oak Cuve
Size of aging container:
3000
Type of oak:
French
Length of aging before bottling:
6 months
Age of Aging Container:
Three years
Total SO2
85
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Analytical Data
pH level:
3.03
Acidity:
6.8 g/L
Alcohol:
13.5 %
Dry extract:
20.5 g/L
Total SO2
85
Residual sugar:
3.2 g/L
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Wine Production

Juice is fermented on solids in a large French Oak Cuve, using a non-Saccaromyces yeast, giving a warmer, slower ferment, then matured on yeast lees for seven months. This translates to more subtle aromatics, but far more texture and intensity on the palate.

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About the Vineyard

The Paper Nautilus Sauvignon Blanc is sourced from some older vines on our oldest estate-owned vineyard in Renwick. Soils are free-draining and stony, giving low cropping/low vigour vines, relatively early ripening, great flavour development every year and age-worthy wines.