Electric lime zest, grapefruit, and fresh passion fruit define the opening impression of MIHA Sauvignon Blanc 2024, a debut release that captures Marlborough’s energy with precision and clarity. Crafted as a tribute to New Zealand’s Humpback Highway and the natural connection between land and sea, this inaugural vintage balances vibrant fruit with thoughtful winemaking choices that favor texture and freshness over excess. It is a confident first statement from a brand positioned around purity, sustainability, and expressive regional character.
Product Details:
- Winemaker: Emmanuel Bolliger; Nicky Parish
- Grape Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
- Vintage: 2024
- ABV: 13.5%
- pH: 3.15
- Total Acidity: 6.9 g/L
- Residual Sugar: 2.9 g/L
- Free / Total Sulfur: 30 ppm / 106 ppm
- Clonal Material: UCD1; mass selection
- Farming Practices: Certified sustainable; organic practices; biodynamic principles
- Vegan Friendly: Yes
- Production Volume: 35,000 cases
- Somm Says™ Tasting Game: RQ995782 featuring Jennifer Maglieri’s tasting notes
Sensory Description:
This Sauvignon Blanc opens with lifted aromatics of lime, grapefruit, and passion fruit, followed by subtle tropical notes of pineapple and guava. On the palate, it delivers a lively, citrus-driven core with crisp acidity and a clean, mineral-edged finish that keeps the wine focused and refreshing. Lees contact and gentle stirring add quiet mid-palate breadth without softening the wine’s natural drive. In the context of the 2024 vintage, the style leans toward vibrancy and precision rather than weight, aligning closely with classic Marlborough expression while maintaining polish. These characteristics are explored in Somm Says™ tasting game RQ995782, featuring Jennifer Maglieri’s tasting notes, which highlight the wine’s balance, clarity, and expressive fruit profile.
Awards & Accolades:
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93 Points: Wine Orbit by Sam Kim (2024)
Winemaker’s Background:
MIHA is a new wine project introduced with the 2024 vintage, built around a clear environmental and cultural narrative that honors New Zealand’s natural heritage. The brand draws inspiration from the migratory path of humpback whales that travel the Pacific each year, using that story as a metaphor for connection, movement, and place. Fruit for this wine is sourced from carefully selected vineyards, and the project emphasizes sustainable certification, thoughtful parcel selection, and restrained cellar practices. Led by winemakers Emmanuel Bolliger and Nicky Parish, MIHA positions itself as a modern Marlborough producer focused on transparency, freshness, and a strong sense of identity from its very first release.
Serving Suggestions:
Serve well chilled at 8 to 10°C in a standard white wine glass to emphasize aromatics and acidity. This wine pairs naturally with oysters, shellfish, fresh salads, goat cheese, and lightly spiced dishes, and it also performs beautifully as an aperitif where its brightness and clean finish shine.
