The Hermit Ram, Ancestral Sauvignon Blanc
Other, New Zealand 2019 (750mL)
Regular price$30.00
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The Hermit Ram, Ancestral Sauvignon Blanc
The Hermit Ram isn’t just turning heads—they’re breaking down barriers, transcending the already-innovative winemaking scene, and crafting “pre-technology” wines of utter distinction. Merchants in London are exclaiming that The Hermit Ram is “some of the most exciting wine to come out of New Zealand for a long time” and that founder Theo Coles is “a turning point for authentic, artisan winemakers.” Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate has started tuning into each new release as if it were a highly buzzed-about indie film. New York retailers are claiming his Sauvignon Blanc is “unlike any NZ wine I’ve ever tasted.” Clearly, these are unique, naturally produced wines with a resonating voice, and if there was ever a singular bottle that could encapsulate everything stated above, it’d be today’s limited production, unfined/unfiltered, lightly sparkling Sauvignon Blanc.
Made in the “ancestral method,” this doesn’t offer the fierce, rattle-your-teeth carbonated power of Champagne, but rather a delicate effervescence that dazzles the senses with explosive aromas and a soft, tremendously refreshing palate loaded with exoticism. Do you love sparkling wine? Sauvignon Blanc? The burgeoning natural wine scene? Discovering producers on the cusp of underground stardom? If so, this will blow you away, while also becoming your go-to wine for the summer. We’ll never tire of the classics, certainly, but this is the type of wine that gets us excited!
Made in the “ancestral method,” this doesn’t offer the fierce, rattle-your-teeth carbonated power of Champagne, but rather a delicate effervescence that dazzles the senses with explosive aromas and a soft, tremendously refreshing palate loaded with exoticism. Do you love sparkling wine? Sauvignon Blanc? The burgeoning natural wine scene? Discovering producers on the cusp of underground stardom? If so, this will blow you away, while also becoming your go-to wine for the summer. We’ll never tire of the classics, certainly, but this is the type of wine that gets us excited!
Thanks to Peter Jackson, you can’t take in the staggering beauty of New Zealand wine country without referencing the Misty Mountains of Tolkien’s Middle Earth. But as you work your way down New Zealand’s South Island, you’ve passed the Middle; this is more like End-of-Earth, the most southern of Southern Hemisphere vineyard land. And as we’ve learned, it’s not just the celebrated Central Otago region drawing the world’s attention to New Zealand, but also North Canterbury—another ‘South Island’ terroir and the home of today’s wine. This faraway paradise is a bonafide Pinot Noir juggernaut, but today’s sparkling “ancestral method” Sauvignon Blanc from Theo Coles makes a bulletproof case for the thrilling fusion of tradition and innovation occurring here.
North Canterbury is a cool, high alluvial plain that enjoys protection from prevailing winds due to the rain shadow effect of the Southern Alps. Situated well north of Central Otago, it was this extreme locale where Coles discovered rich soils and a pastoral setting that he had long been seeking out. Because of his passion for terroir, Coles works naturally from start to finish: from the farming of the grapes without a single spray of chemicals to his hands-off work in the cellar, where only indigenous yeasts are used and sulfur additionals at bottling are minimal.
These days, what is done deliberately and referred to as the méthode ancestrale (‘ancestral method’) was originally a natural product of seasonal rhythms on the farm: wines fermented in the Fall and bottled during the Winter often began fermenting again when ambient temperatures rose the following Spring, becoming bubbly when CO2 from re-fermentation was trapped inside.
Theo Coles’ 2019 “Ancestral Method” Sauvignon Blanc fermented ambiently, with whole clusters intact, before pressing the juice into stainless steel. Bottling with a crown cap occurred shortly after, and the remaining grape sugars, roughly 10 grams, continued fermenting until “dry” (although there is inevitable variation with méthode ancestrale). The result is an invitingly brisk, lightly carbonated, or “frizzante,” Sauvignon Blanc that is a marvelous treat for the senses. In the glass, it reveals a hazy straw-yellow (it is unfined and unfiltered) with silver/green hues and its soft mousse settles after a few seconds. It erupts like a ferocious aromatic volcano with exotic, flavors of candied lime, gooseberry, salted lemon peel, green mango, honeysuckle, juicy white peach, kiwi juice, and tangerine. It’s unabashedly pure, expressive, multi-layered Sauvignon Blanc that delivers mind-altering refreshment and chameleonic nuances. Excited as we are about this wine, I can’t help but plug Theo’s own take: “They are wines of depth, complexity, individuality, and most importantly, drinkability.” I can’t hammer that last note hard enough—this is addicting, and a glass will vanish in nanoseconds, especially next to a chilled pool with the sun beating down. Enjoy in all-purpose stems around 45 degrees over the next year. Cheers!
