2015 Richmond Plains Sauvignon Blanc Nelson 750 ml

Steve Gill’s tiny production, ultra-concentrated 2015 Sauvignon Blancs are among the finest of the last 20 years. The 2015 Richmond Plains Sauvignon Blanc is an absolute knockout. Brilliant green-straw to the rim, with mouthwatering aromas of pink grapefruit, gooseberry, Anjou pear, and passion fruit. Rich, plump, and weighty—infused with a slight hint of sweetness, the finish remains bracing and decidedly Sancerre-like. 

If you come to this gorgeous waterfront oasis on the South Island, plan to stay longer than we did our last visit. Even with sun this bright, summer days rarely top 80 degrees. Nights tumble below 50. Many come for the beaches, the sailing, and the kayaking. Others are seduced by the marine reserves and spend their afternoons snorkeling with the seals. 

As soon as we landed, we made our way to Richmond Plains to taste Sauvignon Blanc with Pure Gold-winning winemaker Steve Gill, hoping to wrestle away an allocation large enough to cover our Air New Zealand fare. Once you eyeball the Richmond Plains vineyards, it doesn’t take long to realize why many call Gill’s Sauvignons “the Sancerre of the South Island.” 

The vines at Richmond Plains are fastidiously tended, trimmed back to just two shoots per plant and just three or four clusters per shoot, following strictest Loire Valley protocol. In the warm, dry growing season of 2015, where the diurnal temperature shift flirted with 40 degrees, the call to harvest came early. Yields were down 30% from 2014. All picking was done by hand with clusters placed in small bins before being trucked to Gill’s winery. Steve treated the thick-skinned berries to a long and cool vinification, pushing the envelope on extraction and phenolic complexity while retaining the stinging acidity for which best Nelson Sauvignons are now so well known. 

The 2015 Richmond Plains Sauvignon Blanc is bright straw in color. Bigger and plusher than the more restrained 2014, with plush aromas of ripe citrus, pear, and passion fruit. Finely delineated, rich, and weighty. Filled with a juicy mix of lemon-lime tart and baked apple. Despite the opulence of the vintage, still finishing with bracing Sancerre-like acidity.