Two Rivers Rosé is one of New Zealand’s most awarded rosés and has claimed the top spot in Cuisine Magazine for three out of four years. With great pedigree and a huge domestic following, the wine sells out each year. After six months with no Two Rivers Rosé in the cellar, the 2017 vintage is set for release on the 1^st September 2017.

“This year we’ve really tried to lift the bar aesthetically,” says winemaker/owner David Clouston. “The 2017 comes in an Eclat diamond punted bottle which no one else is using in the country that I know of. The beautiful punt really shows off the wine’s coppery salmon colour which I love. We finished off the package with a new cap and label and changed the name from French – L’Ile de Beauté, to the English version – Isle of Beauty, so it’s more recognisable and pronounceable. The wine style inside is really the only thing that hasn’t changed.”

Mediterranean in style, the 2017 vintage has fresh herb aromas of thyme, tarragon and dill overlaying nuances of orange blossom and mandarin. The zesty palate exudes fleshy tangelo, citrus and peach with a touch of wet stone. The wine is perfectly poised, delivering a briny fresh, clean and dry finish. An ideal pairing with all Mediterranean cuisine.

Available 1st September – while stocks last.

Owner and winemaker, Dave Clouston, has been making Sauvignon Blanc since Two Rivers first vintage in 2004. Our flagship wine: ‘Convergence’ Sauvignon Blanc is a success story, enjoying worldwide acclaim, but by 2013 Dave wanted to try and make a less fruit driven, more complex, textural, age worthy style of Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough’s Southern Valleys… And thus the first ‘Altitude’ Sauvignon Blanc was born.

Two vintages on, we have just released our ‘Altitude’ Sauvignon Blanc 2015. This time, Dave has tweaked up the interesting notch further, adding a concrete egg component to the wine. 40% was wild fermented in a concrete egg tank, while 60% went wild in 8 year old hogshead barrels. The wine was then aged for 10 months in these vessels, with a small portion going through MLF.

“I think barrel is great for texture and weight but the egg gives the wine more purity, elegance and freshness while still adding texture and complexity,” says Dave.

“Concrete is slightly more porous than stainless steel, so it lets the wine evolve naturally and gain more complex, savoury characters.”

The oval shape of the egg tank also plays a unique role in the aging process. “As the accumulation of lees increases from the widest part of the tank to the narrower part, the lees slowly starts rolling over itself, allowing a continuously mixing of the lees without any external interruption of the wine,” explains Dave. “I’m not sure if the egg is better than barrel but I think it brings a certain intellectual component to the wine which I really enjoy.”

Dave believes Sauvignon Blanc should be cherished and this exciting example demonstrates how diverse and age worthy Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc can be.