Framingham Sauvignon Blanc 2024

Reviews

Cameron Douglas MS: 93/100.  An excellent bouquet of freshness, ripeness and variety. Aromas of grapefruit and red apple, mango and pineapple, fresh herbs and white spice highlight. Even, persistent and vibrant. Equally vibrant on the palate, urgent yet controlled, the backbone of acidity carries flavours of white fleshed pomaceous fruits, tropical layers and a fine savoury fresh herb quality. Delicious, salivating and ready from day of purchase through 2029.

Stephen Wong MW (The Real Review): 92/100. A classic Marlborough sauvignon, its ripe, perfumed fruit and savoury tomato stalk herbaceous flavours, sweet floral note and a touch of smoke all come together in a mid-weight wine with noticeable grip and savoury structure. More brooding on the salty, phenolic finish, it’s in a youthfully closed state but has the aromatic intensity on the finish to suggest that it is merely waiting to emerge.

James Suckling (JamesSuckling.com): 91/100. Fresh aromas of lime zest, flint and candied lemon peel. The light-bodied palate has tightly wound acidity, giving notes of ruby grapefruit, kiwi fruit and passion fruit. Polished with an underlying power.

New Zealand International Wine Show 2024: Silver.

Tasting Note

Classic Framingham – layered, dry, and textural. Aromas of passionfruit, ripe citrus, elderflower and green topicals lead on the nose. The palate is concentrated, with generous fruit weight and a fine line of acidity providing length and structure. A small portion fermented in acacia and oak puncheons adds subtle texture and complexity to the finish.

Aromas and flavours:

Additional information

Type: White wine

Grape varial: Sauvignon Blanc

Enjoy with: A versatile food wine with its bright acidity, ideal for pairing with seafood such as oysters or prawns, white meats like chicken or pork, and Asian-inspired dishes like stir-fries, Thai curries, and sushi.

Vineyards: The fruit for this wine comes from eight vineyards spread across the greater Wairau Valley. Fifty-three percent is sourced from the stony riverbed soils of Renwick and western Rapaura, 28% from the clay soils of the Southern Valleys, and the remaining 19% from the fertile silt loams of Lower Wairau. All vineyards are certified sustainable by Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ). The vines range in age from 8 to 30 years.

Soil type: Various, including stony, old riverbed, clay, and silty loam.

Vintage 2024: A very dry winter was followed by an unsettled spring, including some late frost events. Early season vine growth was subdued, but favourable early summer conditions supported healthy canopy development. Variable weather during flowering reduced crop levels in some sites. The dry conditions intensified through January and February, with careful irrigation essential to maintain vine health. Fortunately, harvest brought cooler temperatures and dry weather—ideal for ripening. Sauvignon Blanc was picked in pristine condition, with lower yields contributing to excellent flavour concentration and aromatic intensity.

Winemaking: Picking decisions were based on optimal flavour development, which occurred rapidly in 2024 due to low yields and a warm summer. Each of our vineyard sites contributes distinct characteristics and was kept separate during fermentation to provide flexibility at blending. Juices were predominantly fermented in stainless steel tanks at cool—but not cold—temperatures to preserve varietal expression. Ten percent of the final wine was fermented in large-format (500L) oak and acacia puncheons. The intention here is not to impart an overt oak character, but to introduce subtle textural elements to the blend. Eighty percent of the wine was aged on full ferment lees for five months, enhancing mouthfeel, complexity, and longevity.

Alcohol: 13.5% vol

Total acidity: 7.8 g/l

Residual sugar: 3.9 g/l

Wine style: dry

Bottle size: 0.75l

Notice: contains sulphites

Cellaring potential: until 2027

Closure: Screwcap

Ingredients: Grapes, preservative: sulphites.

Produced and bottled by: Framingham Wines, P O Box 37, Renwick, Marlborough 7243, New Zealand

Imported and distributed by: vinabonus GmbH, Simmedenweg 40, 34134 Kassel, Germany

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