The new 2014 sauvignon blancs are coming on to the market and those in this tasting are delicious, ripe and mouth-filling with a lively fresh finish. Let's hope it's indicative of the vintage in general.
BEST VALUE
$17
Four stars (out of five)
Good value
This wine marking the World of Wearable Arts is fragrant with hints of melon, coriander seed and cape gooseberry, mouth-filling with a complex mineral backbone and a fresh, tingly finish.
brancottestate.com
$17
Four stars
Good value
A flavoursome wine with hints of ripe cape gooseberry, golden kiwi, fresh guava, a good dollop of citrus, and a lively crisp, dry finish.
stoneleigh.co.nz
$20
Four stars (out of five)
Good value
Fragrant, floral notes and pungent hints of capsicum, concentrated and mouth-filling with suggestions of guava, melon, herbs and mineral, and a lively, textural finish
brancottestate.com
$25
Three and a half stars
Average value
A fresh, vibrant Marlborough sauvignon, all apples, passionfruit, gooseberries and yellow capsicum, with a suggestion of dusty gravel and an assertive, steely shaft of acidity on the finish.
sacredhill.com
$27
Four and a half stars
Good value
At a year old, this stylish wine is deliciously concentrated with suggestions of melon, golden peach and crisp apple, hints of smokiness and mineral, and a well balanced, textural, crisp, lingering aftertaste. A food-friendly wine that will continue to develop for another year or two.
atarangi.co.nz
$29
Four stars
Average value
Hints of ripe melon, kiwi and herbs with just tinges of funkiness and nuttiness, mouth-filling with a lively, fresh, dry finish. A food-friendly wine.
pegasusbay.com
ANOTHER GLASS
St Clair Vicar's Choice Bright Light Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2014
$19.50
Three stars
Below average value
I have to admit to not being a fan of trendy low alcohol wines. Apart from some rieslings, they usually lack fruit and flavour. This, at 9.5%, hints of herbs, gravel and gooseberries with a hint f citrus, light appley flavours, a slight sweetness and a very crisp, steely, dry finish.
saintclair.co.nz
Church Road McDonald Series Hawkes Bay Sauvignon Gris 2012
$27
Three and a half stars
Below average value
Sauvignon gris with lightly pink skins is a relative of the more assertive sauvignon blanc. This oozes peaches, melon, cape gooseberry and mineral, with a light nuttiness and a crisp peacock's ail of a finish.
Churchroad.co.nz
