I found myself walking up the street one recent bottle collection morning and couldn’t resist a few furtive glances into the bottle bins to see what made up the empties. We have a good rapport with the neighbours so I have an idea as to their drinking pleasures. Bubbles where I would have guessed, craft beer at another ... I didn’t get to the end of the street where I might have expected Chardonnay, but dominant overall was Sav Blanc and Pinot Noir. They have become powerhouses of local wine, so here are a tranche of Sav Blancs to whet your whistle. 2023 Rapaura Springs Rohe — Dillons Point Sauvignon Blanc Price RRP $24.90 Rating Excellent to Outstanding Aromas bound out of the glass, feijoa, sweat, capsicum, fruit pastille, more grass/ herb with time. Pungent and no doubting the grape. Great flavour intensity, filling the mouth, herbs, capsicum, gooseberry, fruit jube, orange-inflected citrus. Vibrant, fresh, lively with a nice mouthfeel. Nice energy, summer in a glass. www.rapaurasprings.co.nz 2023 Rapaura Springs Rohe — Blind River Sauvignon Blanc Price RRP $24.90 Rating Excellent to Outstanding Classic aromas of gooseberry and cut grass, a perfumed top note. Creamy, beautifully weighted palate, that perfume shifting to musk and spices, married to green herbs, cut grass, a wisp of gum and citrus zest on the close. Lively in the mouth, notable palate weight and richness, nice carry, finishing with a real refreshment factor. Nicely done. www.rapaurasprings.co.nz 2022 Coal Pit Proprietor’s Reserve Central Otago Sauvignon Blanc Price RRP $45 Rating Excellent Attractive and complex nose picking up tropical fruit nuances, pineapple, cut grass, pea pod, honey, perhaps a hint of oak? Chewy grip and real textural impact initially offering more in the citrus and musk flavour spectrum. Aeration opens things up, pea pod and cut grass come into play, citrus zest too. Quite an impactful wine with a lip-smackingly long close. www.coalpitwine.com 2023 Main Divide North Canterbury Sauvignon Blanc Price RRP $21.99 Rating Very Good to Excellent Pungent nose of green herbs, gunflint, schisty/ stony notes, a touch of feijoa. A little spritz on the front palate, grassy, gooseberry, red capsicum, a tropical influence underpinned by really zesty, appley acidity. Has sunny day drinking written all over it. Time allows creaming soda and apple flavours to join in, the spritz bringing tingliness to the close. www.maindivide.com 2023 Rapuara Springs Rohe — Rapaura Sauvignon Blanc Price RRP $24.90 Rating Excellent Bold nose, sweat leads, green herbs, gooseberry, smoke. Creamy texture, filling the mouth with flavour, juiciness like biting into a crisp apple. Ripely fruited melds with refreshing grassy/ green herb notes flowing to a long and engaging finish that begs another glass. A little struck match appears with time. A smart wine. www.rapaurasprings.co.nz 2022 Loveblock Organic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc Price RRP $26.99 Rating Very Good to Excellent Fascinating nose, wisps of smoke and honey, gunflint, shifting to nettle and fresh cut herbs. Crisp, racy acidity drives the palate, backed by notes of apple and citrus, cut grass notes framing the close. As the wine opens up a ripe fruit/fruit pastille quality grows, building some nicely creamy elements as a counterpoint to the bright acidity. www.loveblockwine.com
