Wine 1 of 4. Screw cap. Pale yellow-green colour. Lemon peel, ripe gooseberry, passionfruit, grassy and herbaceous notes and a hint of smoke on the nose. Intense grapefruit, ripe gooseberry, passionfruit, underripe mango and a stony/oyster shell component on the palate, with lively acidity and very good length of the pleasantly herbal finish. Medium-bodied and very juicy, with good clarity of fruit and good precision. Much cleaner and more precise than the broader 2018. A good Sauvignon Blanc.

Wine 2 of 4. Screw cap. Pale yellow-green colour. Reduced, smoky nose. Lemon peel, ripe gooseberry, guava, salty mineral notes, some fire stone and mild herbaceous notes on the palate. Quite broad, without the clarity and precision of the 2019. Finished slightly bitter.

Wine 3 of 4. For the Abstract, produced from a dry-farmed plot of the same vineyard as the regular Sauvignon Blanc, the winemaker used whole bunch pressing and ages the wine in seasoned, low-toast oak, with 15 months on the lees (no battonage).

Screw cap. Light yellow-green colour. Nose of intense citrus, a stony note, a salty sea breeze, and a well-integrated herbal aspect. Medium-bodied palate of intense citrus and gooseberry, leafy black currant and ripe pineapple, than coconut in the middle and almond milk and vanilla towards the end, with a smoky/mineral fire stone component. Well-balanced, with a creamy texture and well-integrated oak. Quite interesting. Good concentration. A food wine. Should pair with pan-fried plaice. (90)

Wine 4 of 4. First vintage for this wine. Whole-cluster fermentation. Aged in low-toast oak (35% new). Light ruby colour. Red fruit, red cherry, forest floor, iodine, smoky bacon, spice notes and a touch of vanilla, with medium-plus acidity, bitter tannin and very good length. Medium-bodied, with a slightly creamy texture. Light on its feet; an elegant expression of NZ Pinot Noir and I can see what the winemaker tried to achieve. That said, the wine was austere on day one, and while more balanced one day two there was a disturbing bitterness on the finish and aftertaste, presumably from slightly underripe tannin. It would be interesting to try this again in 10 years, even if I don’t expect the bitterness to disappear. 88(+)(?)