A bit of a double header in the works as I catch up on some sauvignon blanc samples that are due their time in the sun.
Appropriate too, as I recently spotted a chart that compared the value of Australian and New Zealand wine imports into the United States.
Australia peaked in 2007 at $US798 million while New Zealand (beginning to surge) lagged behind at $US144 million.
By 2016 we were equal, and today at $US588 million ($NZ957 million) we are nearly double the Australian figure.
So much of our export success story is based on Sauvignon Blanc. Cheers to that!
2020 Pegasus Bay Sauvignon Semillon
Rating Excellent
Fascinating and complex
nose with wild yeast,
struck match, lemon,
melon, herb notes and a
hint of fruit sherbet.
Vibrant, tingly palate, the
citrus and melon joined
by pineapple, sweat and
an undercurrent of cut
grass. Rich, mouthfilling
and far from your ‘typical’
Sav Blanc, this hits so
many different buttons.
Lovely energy and a long,
racy finish.
2022 Ara Single Estate Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
Rating Very Good to Excellent
Sweetly fragrant, cut
grass, asparagus,
capsicum, rather
appealing. Lively, zesty
palate, an attractive
sweet/sour interplay, the
fruit sweetness matched
by tangy freshness.
Good creamy texture,
gooseberry, capsicum
and citrus in the
mandarin/tangelo
spectrum. A nice overall
package and bang in the
slot for Sav Blanc fans.
2022 Yealands Estate Reserve Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
Rating Very Good to Excellent
Feijoa and sweat
notes, shifting to
gooseberry with hints
of citrus. A brambly/
nettle character, fresh
herbs, grassy, the
flavours taking me
back to SBs of old.
Crisp, bright acidity
adds the refreshment
factor. Perks up nicely
with a bit of air time,
quietly building in
volume and flowing to
a fresh, appealing
close.
2021 Villa Maria Single Vineyard Taylors Pass Marlborough Sauv Blanc
Rating Excellent
Perfumed, fragrant,
almost honeyed,
capsicum, spices, wisps
of herb combining
typicity with complexity.
Richness and fatness,
yet retaining a juicy
crunchiness, picking up
gooseberry, banana and
tropical fruit influences
with capsicum and a
saline touch a backdrop.
Lovely flavour intensity, a
vein of acidity lending a
lip-smacking close.
Rather lovely.
2022 Astrolabe Province Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
Rating Very Good
Fragrance, then the
notes of gooseberry
and cut grass that we
come to expect in SB, a
wisp of honey too.
Clean, lightly crisp
palate, medium flavour
intensity and similarly
very much in the
classic flavour
spectrum SB drinkers
enjoy. Grows in the
glass as it takes on air,
a little bittersweet
touch on the close
adds contrast to the
fruit sweetnesss.
2021 Loveblock Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
Rating Very Good to Excellent
Smoke, wisps of
struck match, caramel,
toffee shifting to feijoa/
sweat. The palate
echoes the toffee/
butterscotch with
honey and a brambly
undercurrent. Creates
another layer of flavour
with citrus and grassy
elements; those
grassy elements more
to the fore as the wine
opens up. Complexity
and interest abounds,
drawing from a wider
palette of flavours.
2022 Main Divide North Canterbury Sauvignon Blanc
Rating Excellent
Feijoa and sweat lead,
typical herbaceous
elements swell, adding
snow pea, asparagus
and some riper tropical
fruit influences. Vibrant
and bright palate, a juicy,
zesty core running
through the wine. The
palate echoes the nose,
the flavours dancing in
the mouth, fresh,
complex and begging
another glass. Rather
tasty.
2022 Domain Road Bannockburn Sauvignon Blanc
Rating Very Good to Excellent
Fragrant, floral,
touches of herb and
smoke, a nice
elegance to the nose,
a little funky wildness
with aeration. Sweet
fruit notes on entry,
table grapes, spiced
honey, the fruit
edging to a tropical
fruit spectrum with
an herbaceous
backdrop. Supple
acidity, very easy
drinking retaining
nice freshness.
