Marlborough’s flagship wine takes top award at 2024 Marlborough Wine Show

Media Release: Sunday 20 October 2024

The variety that put Marlborough on the map as one of the world’s top wine regions has been crowned the wine of the 2024 Marlborough Wine Show, sponsored by QuayConnect.

Yealands Estate Single Block L5 Sauvignon Blanc 2024 picked up the top award, the cream of a very impressive crop at the competition this year.

Chief Judge Stu Marfell says Sauvignon Blanc was a standout in the show, both for the new 2024 vintage wines, but also the legacy category. 

“2024 was a perfect growing season consisting of a dry winter and a hot, sunny summer and then just as autumn and harvest arrived so did the cool nights, locking in the flavour and intensity. The quality of the fruit this year was exceptional; as good as it gets for Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc,” he says.  

“A rising tide lifts all boats, and what was really exciting this year was that there were so many wines that were at the gold medal level.”

This year, the subregions really showed their distinct characteristics more than ever, Stu says.

“In tasting Sauvignon Blanc from the Wairau Valley we really saw the punchy tropical thiols, while the southern valleys showed beautiful texture and riper stone fruit spectrum, and from the Awatere Valley we saw the classic racy acidity with crunchy greens, salinity and a sprinkling of thiols. So there really is something for everyone in terms of Sauvignon Blanc styles, and an amazing summer coming up for wine drinkers.”

International Guest Judge Elaine Chukan Brown, from the United States, had been taking interest in Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc for some years, and said being part of the judging panel at the Show this year was both insightful and motivating.

“What I saw in this year’s tasting was an elevation of nuance to place, sophistication and quality. The level of wines was impressive,” Elaine says.

“What I found especially satisfying was how clear the expression of Marlborough’s various subregions has become. Tasting by subregions really helped amplify the sense of distinction and balance the wines have developed even more. The top Sauvignon Blancs in the tasting were honestly thrilling.”

The winning, single block wine from Yealands Estate is a truly exceptional example of the wine that put our region on the map all those years ago, Stu adds.

“Our success as a region is assured if we keep making wines like this. It is truly exhilarating. The energy, the vibrancy, purity and focus. It could only be from Marlborough, no one else in the world makes wine like this.”

Guest Judge and Deputy Chair Sam Kim was most looking forward to tasting the Sauvignon Blanc classes, and was particularly excited by their quality.

“It’s like looking forward to new season vegetables and fruits - asparagus, Jersey Bennes potatoes and cherries. And these Sauvignon Blancs delivered exuberant flavours in abundance,” he says.

Sam was also impressed by the quality of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir entries.

“They have been improving with older vine age, better site and clone selection, as well as greater grape growing and winemaking expertise,” he says. “[There were] some impressively alluring wines of world-class.”

The legacy class was also a standout for Sauvignon Blanc, with judges noting it was exciting to see how gracefully Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc can age.

The winner of the NZ Wine Centre Legacy Award, sponsored by Marlborough Research Centre was Brancott Estate, with the 2016, 2013 and 2010 vintages of their Chosen Rows Sauvignon Blanc.

“It was a brave move by the winemaker to enter older wines with 2016, 2013 and 2010 vintages, but the wines were ageing so elegantly and have retained minerality, acidity and complexity,” Stu says. “Absolutely beautiful and a real treat to taste older vintage Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough.”

The trophies were presented alongside 20 other class trophies and five industry awards at the Marlborough Wine Show Celebration Long Lunch held Friday 18th October.

The lifetime achievement awards were presented to scientist Rob Agnew, winemakers Daniel & Adele Le Brun and Ormond Nursery founders Ben & Frances Wickham. The 2024 Workplace Wellbeing Award was won by Hunter’s Wines, while Forrest Wines took away the Workplace Wellbeing Leadership Award for 2024.