The pungent, mineral - ime - lemon - gooseberry - herbs and cat's pee aromas had leapt out of the glass - as Marlborough sauvignon blanc should.
It was the wonderfully intense and complex Villa Maria Taylor's Pass Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (about $25), a pinnacle of the style.
One of Villa Maria's Marlborough winemakers, the rugby-playing, pig-hunting Jeremy McKenzie, was in town last week showing some of Villa's top reserve and single-vineyard wines to local restaurateurs and wine shop owners.
Besides the vibrant Taylor's Pass Sauvignon, Villa's stylish Omahu Gravels Hawkes Bay Viognier 2007 (about $39) stood out for its fragrance, power and texture.
McKenzie also showed two single-vineyard chardonnays of completely different characters (both about $39): the deliciously drinkable Keltern Hawkes Bay 2007, which hints of grapefruit and toasty oak with a lingering, nutty, mealy aftertaste; and the more elegant Taylor's Pass Marlborough 2006, with hints of citrus and mineral and a taut, crisp finish, that went perfectly with a buttery salmon risotto.
Among the reds, the complex, lingering Reserve Merlot 2005 (about $60) continues the Villa group's long tradition of fine Bordeaux-style blends from Hawkes Bay.
Villa's Reserve Hawkes Bay Syrah 2006 (about $60) is fragrant and peppery with purity of fruit, a brooding spiciness and fine-grained tannins.
It's only the second vintage of this wine, but fans of Hawkes Bay syrah are advised to seek it out.
Villa Maria's Reserve Marlborough Noble Riesling 2006 (about $35 a half-bottle) is a classic, perfumed wine with hints of jasmine tea, apricot and honey, luscious and intensely sweet but with a citrus lift and a bright clean lingering finish.
"Mmmm . . . it's just so yum," one of my fellow tasters sighed.
I have to agree.
