Kaitui Sauvignon Blanc – 2024

Markus Schneider Kaitui – Sauvignon Blanc from the Palatinate

The Markus Schneider Kaitui 2024 is THE white wine from the Palatinate and THE answer to the popular Sauvignon Blanc wines from South Africa. Cool and well-nourished limestone soils in high altitudes of the Palatinate serve as the basis for the Kaitui Sauvignon Blanc. These grapes have an enormous influence on the exotic fruit expression of the popular Kaitui. The location and perfectly healthy grapes, harvested in various stages of ripeness, are a simple yet effective recipe for success for Markus Schneider. In New Zealand, the overseas home of Sauvignon Blanc, KAITUI is the Maori translation for the word "Schneider" (tailor). While this refers more to the profession than the name, it did not deter Markus Schneider when naming his popular Kaitui. A white wine legend that you absolutely must try.

Sauvignon Blanc from the Palatinate

In the glass, the Kaitui Sauvignon Blanc shines with a soft, pale yellow color with subtle greenish reflections. On the nose, typical aromas of Sauvignon Blanc emerge: lemongrass, lime, and green apple pave the way for the first sip. There, the Kaitui gleams with a light minerality and strong gooseberry aroma, fine smoothness, and a long, exotically fruity finish.

Markus Schneider – Winemaking

Winemaker Markus Schneider himself enjoys fresh, brilliant Sauvignon Blancs from New Zealand. This led him to the idea of creating such a wine in his home region of the Palatinate, where a climate similar to that on the other side of the globe prevails, following the New Zealand model. Thus, he planted Sauvignon Blanc vines early on in the different soils of the Palatinate and experimented with them. But even though the Schneider Sauvignon of the first vintage already showed the finesse of the later cult wine, it sold hesitantly. A friend living in New Zealand then gave Markus the idea of naming it Kaitui, thereby bridging the gap between the old and new wine worlds. The complexity of the Kaitui is due to the different harvest times of the Sauvignon. The early harvest brings green, grassy notes, the main harvest stands for fruity-juicy notes as well as a fine spice, and the late-harvested, fully ripe grapes contribute expressive exotic fruit notes.

The 2024 vintage was a very differentiated vintage – varying from village to village more than ever before. Some vineyards suffered from torrential rains, others from drought. In Ellerstadt, the Schneider family was blessed with the weather. 2023 brought a spring without frost, a very warm summer with rainfall exactly when it was needed. Added to this was picture-perfect weather during harvest time in September with 298 hours of sunshine, double the long-term average. Around 50 harvest helpers were instrumental from September 4th to October 20th in ensuring one of the highest quality vintages in the estate's history.

All grapes are gently processed in the modern press house, carefully pressed under low pressure after a short maceration period of 4 hours, and then aged temperature-controlled in stainless steel tanks without external intervention.

Kaitui – a wine and its values

• Origin Germany
• Growing region Palatinate
• Grape variety Sauvignon Blanc
  
• Vintage 2024
• Screw cap
• 12.5 % vol. alcohol
• 4.9 g/l acidity
• 1.0 g/l residual sugar