Roving Sommelier is passionate about premium quality New Zealand regional wines. Award-winning sommelier, Robert Giorgione is also a New Zealand Wine Brand Ambassador and enthusiastically goes about his work with great passion and knowledge and positively promotes all the New Zealand winegrowers that he represents.

Located in the Awatere Valley, Marlborough, Yealands Estate has become one of my most favourite New Zealand vineyards. They first came onto my wine radar back in 2009 and 2010 when I met Peter Yealands and his marketing director Simon Kelly when they presented their wines for the first time internationally at a prestigious wine event in London. At the time I was working for New Zealand Wine Growers and the focus for most of us presenting New Zealand wines was the 2008 vintage, which was one of the biggest ever.

Tamra Washington was the winemaker and over the years we struck up a good friendship. I visited the winery in 2014, when Tamra showed me around the winery and most of the vineyards located in the Awatere Valley, including the legendary Seaview vineyard right on the coast. Situated further south from most of the Marlborough vineyards (mainly around the township of Blenheim), the Awatere Valley is much cooler – an important factor for building bright and pristine fruit flavours, texture, and natural acidity. Both Tamra and Simon have now left Yealands and including getting married and having a family are currently working on their own wine projects (Kelly Washington Wines), including still consulting at Seresin Estate. Natalie Christensen is the current winemaker at Yealands Estate, and for me, their wines have gone on to be better than ever.

I first tasted the State of Flux wines made by Yealands at the annual New Zealand wine tasting in London 2020. They make a Sauvignon Blanc and a Chardonnay under the State of Flux label. I was really impressed. Having known and being a big fan of Yealands wines for many years, these two beautifully expressive white wines struck me as being rather special. More of a nod towards the Loire Valley (for the Sauvignon) and Burgundy (for the Chardonnay) but using modern winemaking techniques and all the bells and whistles you would expect from a talented winemaker and such a prestigious winery. Luckily, I got to taste them for a second time at the annual tasting in London again in February 2023. So, I bought some. I could only get hold of two bottles, though, owing to the fact that this wine is limited in availability.

The reward of an exceptional vintage is the ability to create remarkable wines from individual parcels of fruit. Subtle winemaker influence complements the natural flavours from the vineyard producing complex wines with remarkable texture and intensity.

The fruit for State of Flux was harvested at full ripeness from carefully selected sites that have been proven to produce excellent fruit year on year. The Sauvignon Blanc grapes for this wine is from the Brackenfield vineyard which overlooks the Awatere River. The soil is extremely hard, a mixture of river rocks and sand, this makes the block naturally less vigorous.

Upon arrival at the winery, the fruit was destemmed into 1700 litre concrete egg fermenters and kept on ferment lees for 11 months. The heat generated through fermentation combined with the unique shape of the vessels created convection currents causing the lees to remain in a constant state of flux. This movement enabled complex flavours to develop through continuous contact with lees. The resulting wine is pure, textural, and incredibly expressive.

Best enjoyed chilled and in a convivial atmosphere.