Brian Bicknell has been intimately involved with the development of modern Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc for well over a quarter of a century (although he looks far too young). Back in 1992, while with Babich Wines, he was investigating the effects of indigenous yeast fermentation. The conclusions at the time were very positive, and Brian took this procedure with him when he became the founding winemaker at Seresin Estate. I was judging at the Royal Easter Show Wine Awards at the time the 1996 Seresin Sauvignon Blanc made its appearance, winning gold. It was a marker for me to the emergence of the sophisticated styles that are prevalent today.
Brian and his wife Nicola established their own label Mahi in 2001, and here, he has continued his work with Marlborough’s most significant grape variety, employing greater amounts of non-inoculated yeasts, whole bunch pressing for the finest juice, and the use of batonnage and barrel-fermentation for increased complexing detail and subtle textures and richness. Brian tends to avoid the overt fruitiness that Marlborough achieves with ease, this style he considers being better suited to food pairing. The Mahi label has enabled Brian to explore these facets with regional blends and single vineyard bottlings. The Bicknells and Mahi are important to follow as we see the continued development of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Here, I review the 2017 Mahi Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, picked earlier, but with sensitivity to phenolics and ripeness, as enabled by having their own winery facilities. www.mahiwine.co.nz
