Vineyard and winemaking
Wild River Sauvignon Blanc comes from a single estate vineyard in the Waipara Valley of North Canterbury. The vines are planted on an old riverbed, where free-draining gravel and clay soils moderate vigour and help create fruit with both tropical intensity and a bright mineral edge.
The 2024 grapes were harvested cool and pressed gently before temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel. No oak is used, keeping the wine focused on pure Sauvignon Blanc aromatics, vibrant acidity and the clarity of its riverbed site.
Tasting notes
Appearance
Pale straw yellow with vivid green reflections and crystalline brightness.
Nose
Passion fruit and ripe guava are lifted by gooseberry, lime zest and freshly cut herbs, with a cool wet-stone note beneath the exuberant fruit.
Palate
Crisp and medium-bodied, with tropical fruit, green apple and juicy citrus driven by perky acidity. The palate is generous without becoming sweet, ending clean and refreshing with lingering lime and mineral definition.
Food pairing
Pair with oysters, grilled squid, feta and herb salad, or a pea and mint risotto. The wine's tropical brightness is also excellent with jerk chicken or fish tacos, where lime, herbs and gentle chilli mirror its own lively character.
Background story
Mount Brown Estates was established in 2002 by Tony Rutherford and his daughter Catherine Keith after they discovered an overgrown former vineyard in the Waipara foothills. The family restored and replanted the site, developing a hands-on estate focused on expressive North Canterbury wines.
Wild River takes its name from the old river course beneath the vines. It is the most direct expression of that landscape in the range: stainless-steel vinification and no oak place the emphasis on the intensity, freshness and stony clarity that the free-draining site gives Sauvignon Blanc.
