The new vintage sauvignon blancs are creeping on to the market, but there's still a lot of 08s about, and some of it well worth drinking.
Although it's often said sauvignon blanc doesn't age, a year can actually work wonders developing the richness and intensity of the good ones.
Clifford Bay Awatere Sauvignon Blanc 2008
(about $19)
Typical Awatere pungency with oodles of passionfruit, guava and other green fruits and a good dash of mineral fill out the body of this wine and leave a long, crisp, confident finish.
- Four stars (out of five)
- Good value
Villa Maria Private Bin Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2009
(about $19)
An attractive wine, oozing tropical fruit, mango, lime and ripe peaches with a hint of sweetness and a lively, crisp finish.
An assertive but friendly young wine for drinking this summer.
- Three stars (out of five)
- Average value
(about $16)
A crisp flinty food-friendly wine with hints of juicy green fruits - honeydew melon and kiwifruit - and a lively finish.
An new label from Cape Campbell.
- Two stars (out of five)
- Average value
(about $20)
Lively green fruit hinting of kiwi and cape gooseberry with a crisp intensity on the finish.
- Two stars (out of five)
- Below average value
(about $22)
A hint of lime and tropical fruit with an undertones of nuts and mineral and a long finish give this wine an understated complexity.
Balanced and good with food.
- Four stars (out of five)
- Good value
(about $50)
A sauvignon for those who don't like the simple, assertive fruit characteristic of most, this has been barrel fermented which gives it intriguing soft green, slightly decadent fruit, texture and a smoky, mineral undertone with a long, creamy, intense, satisfying finish.
- Five stars (out of five)
- Average value
~ ANOTHER GLASS ~
Hunters Kaha Roa Winemakers Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2007
(about $24)
Kaha roa means "oak aged" and this wine, now two years old, hints of smoky peas and tinned asparagus, with the subtle oak and age of this wine tone down the usual sauvignon assertiveness and provide a crisp, textural finish. Good with food.
- Three stars (out of five)
- Below average value
• Two stars - simple, clean, enjoyable wine; three stars - good wine with varietal characteristics; four stars - very good wine with some outstanding characteristics; five stars - outstanding wine with balance and harmony that leaves you with a sense of wonder.
Although wine sent for review is tasted blind to eliminate preconceptions, all wine tasting and evaluation is subjective. These are personal recommendations.
