Nautilus Estate The Paper Nautilus Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2020 $35 
Clive Jones (‘CJ’ to the cool kids) is the scarily talented winemaker behind the tanks and barrels at Nautilus, and to say he’s mildly obsessed with sauvignon blanc is like saying Adele is a half-decent singer. The Paper Nautilus is a limited-edition (300doz) sauvignon is only made only when the positive chi flows in from the East and is a completely different style to their classic version. With fruit sourced from their oldest vineyard, smack bang in the middle of the Wairau Valley, it bursts with lemongrassy, peppery intensity. A word. Pour it into a large, swirlable glass and let this wine open up for a minute or two before you launch in. It requires patience, but you’ll thank me. Handpicked, whole bunch pressed and transferred with some solids into two enormous French oak cuves to ferment for 40 days before a long, 9-month rest on its yeast lees before bottling. That’s what it says on the tech sheet – however on the bottle’s back label, it says 9 months. No matter really. Perfectly prickly textures, delicious palate tension, nettles and lime – it’s all here.
p.s. Don’t overchill this wine –
