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Wine Tasting Adventure

2023 Kim Crawford, `Spitfire` Small Parcels Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc - Liberty

£19.99 GBP
£19.99 GBP

Kim Crawford Wines was established in late 1996 when Kim and Erica Crawford created two wines from fruit grown in Marlborough. The Crawfords sold the company to Constellation in 2005 and handed the reins to their experienced winemaking team, now led by Chief Winemaker Dave Edmonds. The current winemakers and viticulturists continue the classic Crawford philosophy and style. Control over grape supply has always been essential, and Constellation maintains good contracts with growers in the region, ensuring consistency of quality and style. From the 2022 vintage, the winery has moved to using lightweight bottles as one of several sustainability initiatives.

Kim Crawford is renowned for their Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, blended from over 200 separate parcels sourced from their extensive vineyard holdings, as well as growers throughout the Wairau, Awatere, Blind River, Waihopai and Omaka Valleys. The age range of the vines (up to 20 years old) brings a mix of youthful exuberance, fruit, and depth of flavour to the wine.

In selected vintages, Kim Crawford releases the ‘Spitfire’ Sauvignon Blanc. It is named ‘Spitfire’ to commemorate the World War II fighter aircraft base in nearby Blenheim, where they source fruit for this wine. Often hailing from a single vineyard, the small parcels selected for the blend are intensely flavoured. The Pinot Gris is sourced and blended from sites across the North and South Islands and offers a crisp, lively, aromatic option with a little more body and ripeness. The Pinot Noir is a blend of Marlborough and Central Otago sites, giving the winemaking team a great range of flavour profiles to work with and deliver Kim Crawford’s signature red berry and spice notes.

The Small Parcels ‘Spitfire’ Sauvignon Blanc takes its name from a famous site in Marlborough that was used as an air force base during WWII, before being planted with vines that were destined for early vintages of this wine. In 2023, fruit was sourced from the Kiritata Vineyard. The soils are heavy silts that provide a large, healthy vine canopy, and the six-year-old vines are trained to Vertical Shoot Position (VSP).

The weather of the 2023 vintage allowed the vines to ripen with no pressure of disease, maintaining optimal flavours and quality. A perfect vintage for the small parcels style.

Upon arrival at the winery, the fruit was crushed, and the juice was drained and pressed straight away. Fermentation was slow and cool, with a selected yeast to accentuate the fruit profile. Only the best grapes from the vineyard were selected for the Small Parcels bottling.

This is an intense Sauvignon Blanc with lifted aromatics of tropical fruit that lead into a range of complex flavours, including distinct mineral and flinty notes. The palate launches a concentrated burst of ripe tropical fruits and grapefruit which are backed by crisp acidity leading to a long, lingering finish.