Askerne's interpretation of the white Bordeaux blend is made of 73% Sauvignon Blanc, 20% Sauvignon Gris, 7% Semillon. 41% was fermented in barrel and the balance was tank fermented.

Complex fruit aromas of nectarine, gooseberry, asparagus, lime, and melon mingle with mint and dandelion. Dry on the palate, savoury from front to finish with a tangy and subtly smoky flavour balancing tart apricot, preserved lemon, and grassy notes. Very interesting wine.

A blended white includes characters from each of the individual constituent grapes, and there's no escaping the Sauvignon Blanc influence in any blend with its distinctive grassy, zesty tropical notes. Semillon and the Sav-Gris adding body, richness and complexity.

So what exactly is Sauvignon Gris? It's thought to be a mutation of Sauvignon Blanc, with distinctive pinky-grey colouring when fully ripe. Mutations like this are commonplace in the grape world, Pinot Gris is a paler mutation of Pinot Noir (as is Pinot Blanc).

Sauvignon Gris was almost wiped out by phylloxera in the 1860s and tiny amounts still grow in Bordeaux, Chile, Australia and NZ. Early ripening, and naturally low yields, offering good concentration of flavour.

Semillon by comparison is widely grown both in its native Bordeaux, but also extensively in Australia. Traditionally made into full bodied age-worth dry white wines, it is also responsible for some of the tremendous sweet wines when influenced by botrytis, especially the famous Sauternes wines.