Tasting Notes

Not yet available - due to be released 2009

Technical Notes

• Vineyard: Isabel estate. block 5, rows 257 -430 brook Vineyard
• Variety: Sauvignon blanc Clones: UCd 1 and 2, BDX 316 and 317, 5385
• Harvest Date 9th - 22nd April 2009
• Harvest Analysis: brix: 23 - 25 ph: 3.41 .a.:7.3 - 8.5
• Wine Analysis: 13.5% alcohol
• 6.9g/l titratable acidity
• 3.5g/l residual sugar.

Reviews

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar

Very pale bright yellow. Aromas of mandarin orange and minerals. Suave on entry, then rich and silky in the middle, with the mineral component giving the wine a tactile impression. At once sweet and firm, this youthful wine clings nicely on the aftertaste. (World Wine Headquarters, www.worldwinehq.com) 88pts
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Estate Profile

Isabel Estate is a very special place. Quite unique in the broader context of the Marlborough regions.

The Tiller family were pioneers of the area, seeing the potential long before those that have followed. Mike Tiller, as an Air New Zealand pilot, had the distinct advantage of having an almost daily aerial view of the beautiful Wairau Valley in Marlborough, and hence the opportunity to identify the optimum sites for vineyard development.

The entire estate is hand pruned and handpicked which is no longer the norm in the region. All vineyard blocks are close planted with low trellised rows, with a vine density which is almost twice the average for the region. Yields are further restricted by pruning to low bud numbers and where necessary, shoot and bunch thinning.
Arch cane pruning, again an anomaly in the region, ensures even ripeness. Sustainable viticultural practices maintain vineyard health and soil nutrition, using a combination of mulching and organic fish based fertilizer.

There is no doubt these factors create the wonderful natural intensity and concentration of flavor that is the distinctive hallmark of the Isabel Estate wines. All wines are 100% Estate grown and produced. Testimony to the extraordinary development of the Marlborough region,
Isabel is now the largest remaining family owned Estate in Marlborough, with also some of the oldest vines in the region.

Isabel is very much a family affair. Established by Mike and Robyn, and named after Mike’s mother Isabel. Their sons and daughters, Brad, Luke, Caitlin and Jane are now all part of the Isabel Estate dynasty.

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