# Salty White White Blend (2023)

- **Producer:** The Hermit Ram
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay
- **Region:** Canterbury, New Zealand
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 12.0%
- **Average price:** €28
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 10–12 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** lemon, orange, apricot, gooseberry, grapefruit, pineapple, herbaceous, smoke, almond, hazelnut, honey

## About this wine

The Hermit Ram was founded in 2012 by winemaker and former ecologist Theo Coles in North Canterbury, New Zealand. Sourced primarily from the organically farmed Limestone Hills Vineyard in the Waipara Gorge, this low-intervention wine reflects active clay limestone soils over ancient seabed bedrock. Taking its name from a vintage 1900s etching of a defiant ram, the estate focuses on wild, natural techniques that capture the unique coastal terroir of the region.

## Interesting facts

- Portions of the wine age under a natural layer of flor yeast, similar to Jura Vin Jaune or Fino Sherry styles.
- Sourced from ancient seabed limestone bedrock in North Canterbury's Waipara Gorge.
- The winery logo comes from a 1900s etching of a ram, symbolizing an independent winemaking spirit.

## Food pairing

The striking acidity and pronounced sea-salt salinity of this wine cut cleanly through the natural richness and sweet meatiness of fresh shellfish and cured seafood, while harmonizing seamlessly with savory hard cheeses.

## Wine making process

Crafted using whole-bunch cluster pressing and spontaneous yeast fermentation with natural yeasts. The wine undergoes a split-vessel vinification where a portion ferments and ages in stainless steel tanks, another in Spanish clay amphorae (tinajas), and select neutral barrels are intentionally left untopped to allow a natural layer of flor yeast to develop. Bottled unfined and unfiltered with zero-to-minimal added sulfites.