There’s nothing like a massive writing deadline to put paid to nearly everything else in life and with the deadline looming faster than bears thinking about, I am extremely focussed on creating a good read and obsessively researching to ensure the facts are on the nail as well. The new project will be revealed in the fullness of time and in the meantime, here is last week’s blog, intended to be published on Friday but with a deadline hanging over me like a dark cloud, well, sorry, it’s taken a while but good things are worth the wait.

And with that thought in mind, the 2020 Paper Nautilus Sauvignon Blanc is a good thing. It’s named after the Paper Nautilus, which is said to be a rare sea creature which occasionally washes up on secluded beaches around the Marlborough Sounds. An apt image then for the distant cousin of the Nautilus which is the logo of this well known winery.

Wine of the week

18.5/20

2020 Paper Nautilus Sauvignon Blanc $35

Dry, fresh and medium bodied, the Paper Nautilus Sauvignon Blanc is a refreshingly different take on the well worn Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc theme and tastes of smooth, lightly creamy notes with a touch of fresh lemon zest on the finish. Like its sea creature cousin, The 2020 Paper Nautilus Sauvignon Blanc is something of a rarity too since only 300 cases are made from hand picked grapes which are fermented in large old oak barrels and at a warmer temperature than is typical for Sauvignon. This is to de accentuate the overt fruitiness of Sauvignon’s tropical flavours. It’s made from grapes grown on the oldest vineyard owned by Nautilus Estate Wines at Renwick in the Wairau Valley.

This is the fifth release of The Paper Nautilus.