2025 Koha Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, Wairau Valley, New Zealand

The 2025 Koha Sauvignon Blanc from te Pā Family Vineyards is a highly expressive white wine that beautifully captures the distinct, sun-drenched terroir of New Zealand’s Wairau Valley in Marlborough. On the nose, this vintage showcases a layered aromatic profile filled with ripe clementines, mango, passionfruit, and lemon, seamlessly intertwined with soft, fresh garden herbs. The palate continues this vibrant tropical theme by delivering concentrated, succulent flavors of citrus, cantaloupe melon, and gooseberry. As you sip, intricate nuances of delicate nettle, wild fennel, and blackcurrant leaf weave through the primary fruit core, creating a marvelous sense of balance and mid-palate complexity. The experience concludes with a characteristically crisp, clean finish underscored by a striking touch of chalky minerality and a hint of lingering spice.

Crafted with sustainability at its core, the winemaking process relies on gentle processing to retain the absolute purity of the fruit. The grapes are destemmed and soft-pressed before undergoing temperature-controlled fermentation entirely in stainless steel tanks, preserving the variety's legendary zippy acidity. Winemaker Sam Bennett then leaves the wine on its fine lees for roughly three to four weeks, utilizing frequent, gentle stirring to broaden the texture and soften the mouthfeel. This textural roundness is what helps earn the wine consistent acclaim, including "Best Buy" status from publications like Wine Enthusiast. Rooted in the rich cultural history of the MacDonald family—whose Māori ancestors first settled the local Wairau Bar over 800 years ago—this vegan-friendly wine serves as a brilliant companion to fresh local oysters, grilled white fish, or sharp goat cheese.