Tinpot Hut, Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2025
| Vintage | Product Code | Format | Closure | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | TH101B25 | 6 x 75 | Screwcap | Available |
Producer
The Tinpot Hut story began in 2003 when winemaker Fiona Turner and her husband Hamish established their 20-hectare vineyard in Marlborough’s emerging sub-region of Blind River. Fiona named the project after a historic Marlborough mustering hut, the ‘Tinpot Hut’, linking the area’s sheep farming past with its current state as one of the world’s most dynamic wine regions. Fruit for the Tinpot Hut wines is sourced from Fiona’s ‘Home Block’, supplemented by grapes from carefully selected vineyards. Fiona is assisted by Matt Thomson, of Blank Canvas, a friend and colleague with whom she has worked for many years.
Tinpot Hut’s flagship Sauvignon Blanc is a blend of fruit from Blind River, which contributes mineral and crushed herb characters, and the Lower Wairau, which imparts lovely tropical flavours. The Pinot Gris, also from Blind River, shows fragrant aromas of spice and pear, with underlying notes of brioche and stone fruits, and has a textured body and lingering finish. The Riesling, sourced from selected sites in the Lower Wairau, is made in a lower alcohol style, with flavours of lime, grapefruit and a distinct flinty finish. The Late Harvest Riesling is sourced from Fiona’s ‘Home Block’ in Blind River and another vineyard in the upper Awatere Valley. It is a full-bodied and textural wine, with enticing ripe apricot, mandarin and touches of subtle spice and honey.
Equally fresh and pure, the Pinot Noir has intense aromas of black cherry, supported by hints of plum and redcurrant. Structurally, the tannins are soft and silky, with well-balanced acidity ensuring excellent length and weight.
Vineyards
Fruit for this wine was sourced from the home vineyard at Blind River in the Awatere Valley and from the coastal Lower Wairau sub region 30 minutes to the north. At an elevation of 28m and only a mile from the Pacific Ocean, the home vineyard is cooled during the height of summer by afternoon onshore easterly winds. A rich loamy topsoil of around 500-750mm overlays wind blown clay loess here. In the Lower Wairau vineyards, the dominant feature is the very deep fertile silt loam soils laid down over thousands of years near the coast. All vines are trained with vertical shoot positioning.
Vintage
Following a warm wet spring that delivered early budburst and healthy canopies, the 2025 growing season turned into one of the driest on record. It was an exceptionally settled, flowering for Sauvignon Blanc. An El Niño-driven warm, sunny summer with warm nights accelerated ripening while keeping disease pressure low, so early targeted work in the vineyard was essential to balance yields and ensure concentration and quality.
Vinification
Fruit was machine harvested in the cool of the night and transported to the winery as quickly as possible. The grapes underwent gentle pressing to ensure minimal skin contact. The must was cold settled before being racked to stainless steel tanks for inoculation. Fermentation took place at cool temperatures to preserve freshness and aromatics in the wine.
Tasting Notes & Technical Details
A pleasingly rich Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc with vibrant aromatics and a fine balance of acidity. Complex and elegant, the nose opens with classic characters of blackcurrant bud and freshly cut thyme. Underlying flint and saline nuances from the grapes grown in the Blind River sub-region combine well with the more tropical notes of passion fruit and melon from the Wairau Valley vineyards.
Alcohol (ABV)
13%
Other wines from this producer
Producer | Wine | Product Code | Features | Style | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tinpot Hut | Marlborough Pinot Gris | TH103 | W | Factsheet | |
| Marlborough Pinot Noir | TH104 | R | Factsheet | ||
| Marlborough Late Harvest Riesling | TH108 | Sw | Factsheet |