With many wines reaching 13% to 14% alcohol, there's a move
by some winemakers, admittedly with varying success, to
produce wines of around 9% without sacrificing flavour. This
is, however, still about twice the alcohol of beer.
BEST VALUE
Saint Clair Vicar's Choice Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
2012
$19
Four stars (out of five)
Good value
Fragrant and oozing lovely, bright passionfruit with a
suggestion of nuts and caramel, this is intense and
mouth-filling, with a fine structure and lingering
aftertaste.
www.saintclair.co.nz
Brancott Estate Flight Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
2012
$27
Three and a half stars
Below average value
This has a light fragrance with hints of flowers, herbs and
green fruit, bright hints of passionfruit and a simple, crisp
finish. At 9% it's one of the lower-alcohol sauvignons and is
often on special.
www.brancottestate.com
Invivo Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2012
$20
Three and a half stars
Average value
Light aromas but lots of fruit flavours - ripe apple,
passionfruit, mango, pear, and a lively, crisp, but
well-balanced finish.
www.invivowines.com
Thornbury Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2012
$21
Three and a half stars
Average value
Fragrant with sweet fruit hinting of mint and passionfruit,
intense, with a crisp, assertive finish. Good value on
special at $14.
www.thornbury.co.nz
Richmond Plains Nelson Sauvignon Blanc 2012
$20
Three and a half stars
Average value
With aromas of passionfruit, grass and petrichor (raindrops
on hot stones), this fresh, tight young wine hints of sweet
gooseberries and mineral and finishes with a lively,
assertive acidity.
www.organicwines.co.nz
Saint Clair Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2012
$21
Four and a half stars
Good value
This leaps out of the glass, pungent and aromatic with hints
of gooseberries and raindrops on hot stones.
It's mouth-filling with lots of fruit intensity and a bright,
lively textural finish. It's so well balanced, it invites
another glass - something I find rare among sauvignons.
www.saintclair.co.nz
ANOTHER GLASS
Te Mania Nelson Sauvignon Blanc 2012
$19
Three stars
Below average value
A lively wine in the mineral and gooseberry spectrum, with a
crisp, assertive acidity.
www.temaniawines.co.nz
Invivo Bella Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2012
$19.95
Two and a half stars
Below average value
One of the low alcohol (9%) sauvignons, but although there
are hints of mineral, grass and perhaps tropical fruit, the
texture is soft, and it's light and somewhat dilute in
flavour.
www.invivowines.com
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