MARLBOROUGH boutique vineyard River Farm has just released a trio of fresh and lovely whites.  
Two of these are inaugural releases, introduced to me by the petite dynamo, Mary-Anne, at the Regional Wine Road Show last month. My companion came running over to tell me about an amazing new sauvignon blanc he’d discovered, one he figured I’d love with my soft spot for oaky savs.
Clearly he had not been listening the last time I raved about River Farm (I reviewed their Saint Maur sav in March).  Nonetheless, he was right.  I was excited to discover they have just released their first ever pinot gris and gewürztraminer.  
River Farm Godfrey Road Pinot Gris 2009 ($20.60) smells like bubblegum, flowers, warm yeastiness and spicy alcohol (it’s 13.5%).  Part of the batch spent time in oak, so there is also a hint of savoury cucumber on the nose. Pear flavours are ripe and juicy in the mouth. The texture is smooth and creamy from lees stirring before being cleaned out by ginger and pear skin.
River Farm Godfrey Road Gewürztraminer 2008 ($20.60) has a rose and ginger nose (spicy from the 14.5% alcohol) with a hint of elderflower – perhaps from the wild yeasts.  Like the pinot gris, it’s luscious but finishes super dry (only 1.4 grams/litre residual sugar).
Wine of the week:
We tasted all three of River Farms’ wines together with my mum, and River Farm Ben Morven Sauvignon Blanc 2009  ($18.40) was most popular. It has a small oak component which joins wild yeast to meld with the sav’s crisp fruit aromas to trick you into thinking you’re dipping your nose into a bowl of elderflowers and ripe greengage plums. It’s a luscious passionfruit and rhubarb flavoured wine, and is gentler on the palate than unoaked styles.