Ten Minutes by Tractor 2016 Ten X Sauvignon Blanc

Well before George Constanza claimed to have invented the “it’s not you, it’s me” routine, sauvignon blanc and I had long broken up. Though as Jerry Seinfeld observed “I thought things were going great”, but that was before the Marlborough Sauv-o-lanche. Back in the days when sauvignon blanc was green, grassy and showed herbaceous and grapefruit characters, I was a disciple. Forward fruit, gentle acidity and richly textured. Yum. And then, the Kiwis just had to crash the party. And it wasn’t just the Bordeaux and Louire Valley styles that once excited my taste buds, the Australian sauvvies from elevated regions also floated my boat. But we broke up. Call it a separation. A parting. We split the sheets. And it wasn’t just a fade away or a ghosting. When Marlborough started dumping their mass-produced overly perfumed and flabby tropical fruit punch label as sauvignon blanc, I was out. But I assured her, it was me!

Ten Minutes by Tractor 2016 Ten X Sauvignon Blanc

And until a month ago, I would have sworn that I’d never again become besotted by a sauvignon blanc; no matter what her heritage or pedigree might be. But along came the Ten Minutes by Tractor 2016 Ten X Sauvignon Blanc. Until then, I’d developed quite a comfortable relationship with Chardonnay and Riesling. And even the odd Sunday afternoon interlude with Verdelho or Sémillon. But she was back. And despite my feeble protestations, yes meant yes and suddenly I was backsliding in a way that the editors of Cosmopolitan Magazine would never approve! Sauvignon Blanc was once again filling and re-filling my Riedel and putting a glow in my cheeks.

The Ten Minutes by Tractor Ten X Sauvignon Blanc hails from the Mornington Peninsula and is an entry-level proposition at no more than $28 a bottle. The 2016 release came from a vintage that was dryer and warmer than usual and necessarily, was harvested early. After spending nine months in used French oak barriques, the Ten X was released in June this year and is drinking beautifully.

The aromatics are evident from the first whiff of guava on the nose and develop into torrents of lush ripe fruits, with notes of dried pineapple, ripe fuji apples and perhaps, a hint of Japanese honeysuckle. There is an elegance about the textural mouthfeel that the Marlborough styles seem unable to replicate and the palate weight is superb. On the finish there are lingering acids and relatively low residual sugar and a length which will surely have you reaching for another glass, or even a bottle!

So maybe it wasn’t me after all? Perhaps it was just her kiwi cousin that failed to ingratiate herself to my palate? Or perhaps it is just this Ten Minutes by Tractor vixen from a warm and dry vintage on the Peninsula. I guess time will tell.