Atlas was incredibly pleased to hear that TerraVin's Te Ahu 2011 won the International Sauvignon Blanc Trophy at the International Wine Challenge earlier this month. It is a property that Simon has followed for many years, having visited it first during is MW studies.
I have been linked to TerraVin for a good many years, as I visited just as one of the vineyards was being planted in 2000. My former employer toyed with the estate in the early days too, without really moving forward. When I started Atlas back in the autumn of 2010, the TerraVin wines were among the first that we purchased. We were particularly impressed with the barrel-fermented and aged Sauvignon Blanc, Te Ahu.
The principal owners of TerraVin are also good friends of mine so I was really pleased to open my email inbox this morning and find that the 2011 vintage of Te Ahu has just won the International Sauvignon Blanc Trophy at this year’s International Wine Challenge. I am reasonably sceptical when it comes to awards but, when you consider the breadth of this category, it is quite an achievement. Sauvignon Blanc is something of a ubiquitous variety so TerraVin Te Ahu was up against innumerable global examples.
More than just winning the award, I was delighted to read the comments of Charles Metcalfe’s, chairman of the IWC, on the New Zealand category in which he reserved some specific praise for TerraVin:
‘The New Zealand trophy winners really blew us away at this year’s competition. The TerraVin Te Ahu 2011 triumphed over hundreds of global contenders to pick up the International Sauvignon Blanc trophy and is truly stunning.’
And the tasting note from the judges read as follows:
‘Idiosyncratic but exciting. Boldly pungent, pepper and lime zest, indicative of a wild ferment. Youthful vibrance and life. Focused and flavourful with abundant lime, clementine, flinty and peppery. Long and zesty finish. A charmingly charismatic wine.’
Their comments are apt; there is an unmistakable complexity to the Te Ahu, almost a smoky mineral quality allied to a leesy note. There are many faces to Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, and this is certainly one of the more serious. Don’t expect that pungent, bracing style – these barrel-fermented/ barrel-aged styles temper the extrovert nature of Marlborough fruit – the oak lends subtle notes, it does not overplay the fruit, rather it results in more restrained, sophisticated style as the note above reveals. TerraVin’s Te Ahu is ahead of the pack and it is great news to see it being endorsed in this manner.
We have only recently placed our order for the 2011 Te Ahu, which should be arriving with us in the next couple of weeks so this news certainly caught us on the hop. If you would like to order the 2011 vintage, we have it available at £110 per 6 bottle case in bond.
Please let us know of your interest.