A fellow wine writer once asked me if there was a “watershed wine” in my life that set me on this path (to wine obsession)? Yes; it was the Collards Rothesay Bay Sauvignon Blanc from Auckland, either the 1985 or 1986. At the time a cask of wine was a regular in the flat shop for my flatmates and I, but those casks were a vehicle for sociability, never memorable. I’ll admit that the circumstances surrounding the drinking of that Collards had a certain frisson which may have added to my perception (yes; there was a woman involved) but I can remember that wine to this day. This was a wine that was so far from the cask wines I knew, so intense, so much flavour, that it lit a spark. Such is the sheer dominance of sauvignon blanc over the New Zealand wine industry now with that intensity of flavour sweeping all before it, that it can almost seem like the grape is “ours”, yet the variety was only first planted in Marlborough in 1973, though it did exist in New Zealand before that. Like the majority of the grape varieties we grow in New Zealand, the origins of sauvignon blanc lie in France. In various appellations in the eastern end of the Loire Valley (perhaps most famously Sancerre) it traditionally flies solo, while in its other bastion of Bordeaux it is more often blended with semillon and occasionally muscadelle, though can also be found solo. It is common inmany European countries with Austria having a particular fondness for it. There are also sizeable plantings in the United States, Chile and South Africa, along with Australia. Historically, the bold, pungent, racy style of sauvignon blanc brimming with gooseberry and cut grass has been a grape signature for Marlborough and New Zealand while attempts to offer alternative styles into our key export markets were met with a “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” riposte. Consumers fell in love with that style and never really fell out of love with it so that bright, juicy, zesty style continues to dominate shelves both here and internationally. However, there are producers bucking that trend, invariably still producing one or more wines in the “classic” style, while having a little dabble on the side with wines built on texture and complexity. The former have that wonderfully joyous aperitif style user-friendliness to my mind while the latter styles are more food-friendly and contemplative: each has its place. Today we focus on three wines below that take sauvignon blanc to new places — Blank Canvas Abstract Three Rows, Dog Point Section 94 and Greywacke Wild and Zephyr Mark III. There are four more that spring to mind, though I am undoubtedly doing a disservice to several more interesting examples. ©Allied Media : 2024 Astrolabe Beacon Hill Vineyard Southern Valleys Sauvignon Blanc 2024 Astrolabe Beacon Hill Vineyard Southern Valleys Sauvignon Blanc Price RRP $40 Rating Outstanding Now here’s a different nose, warm baguette/pastry, quince, peach, red apple, water over river stones minerality. The palate has lovely texture and flavours of spiced apple pastry. Is it grapefruit or lemon, perhaps both, lemon balm, fresh herbs and a lifted seashell-like note framing the close. The flavours simply hang in the mouth. Impeccable balance, serious intent, absolutely begs another glass. www.astrolabewines.co.nz ©Allied Media2024 Rockburn Central Otago Fumé Blanc 2024 Rockburn Parkburn Vineyard Central Otago Fumé Blanc Price RRP $42 Rating Excellent So different. Smoke, bonfire embers, bread dough, licorice, chopped herbs, mandarin zest, every sniff something new. That smoky character runs through the palate, while echoing the notes on the nose, the citrus now more lemony. Great intensity and carry, taking SB into different realms. With air the citrus and grassiness really to the fore on the close with lip-smacking acidity. www.rockburn.co.nz ©Allied Media2023 Pegasus Bay Minuetto North Cantebury Semillon Sauvignon 2023 Pegasus Bay Minuetto North Cantebury Semillon Sauvignon Price RRP $40 Rating Excellent to Outstanding Warm baguette, savoury/umami, a touch of anise, grapefruit, citrus zest and a little smoky nuance. Draws you back for more. Beautifully creamy texture, that bready/baguette note leads, spice, lemon verbena, toffee apple, wonderfully complex, flavour depth yet light on its feet. A tiny bit of spritz/prickle just adds to the freshness. Super integration and so much to explore. A blend rather than straight SB. www.pegasusbay.com
