The aromas of Marlborough sauvignon blanc can invoke all sorts of memories - flowering gorse on a summer day, freshly cut passionfruit, fresh ripe guavas we ate in India, the infamous cat's pee on a gooseberry bush, fresh sweat, and very often, drops of rain on hot, dusty river stones.
Mud House Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2009
($19.95, but check out specials)
A powerful, juicy wine with hints of dusty greywacke, bursting with fruit - gold and green kiwi and passionfruit, but held in tight rein with a mouthwateringly crisp, long finish.
Delicious.
- Five stars (out of five)
- Good value
Tohu Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2009
(about $19)
With a smart new label, this vintage continues the lush, pungent style Tohu is known for, with oodles of mouthfiling fruit, hints of peas, golden kiwi and passionfruit, and an attractively bright, crisp finish.
- Four stars (out of five)
- Good value
(about $19, but check specials)
A hint of mineral and citrus - lemon and mandarin, with sweetness in the mouth and a tight, dry finish.
- Three stars (out of five)
- Average value
(about $25)
It's hard to beat Saint Clair when it comes to sauvignon at any price range.
This is as good as it gets, with generous dollops of sweet passionfruit, fresh guava and madarin marmalade, and complex hints of smoky green fruit and mineral, all tightly held in perfect balance by a long, taut, crisp finish.
- Five stars (out of five)
- Good value
(about $26)
After 24 vintages at Cloudy Bay, Kevin Judd is making his own wine.
Restrained initially, it develops lovely floral aromas, succulent hints of lime, grapefruit, nectarines and ripe apples, texture, a tight structure and a long finish.
Like many of the best Marlborough sauvignons, this will develop over the next year or so.
- Four stars (out of five)
- Average value
(about $23, but look for specials)
Broad, mouthfilling and compled with hints of mineral and green smoky fruit, this is a textural, concentrated wine with a hint of funkiness.
A showy wine, with lots of everything.
- Four stars (out of five)
- Average value
~ ANOTHER GLASS ~
Ohau Gravels Sauvignon Blanc 2009
(about $21)
A surprisingly voluptuous wine from the Kapiti coast north of Wellington with hints of river stones, peas, tropical fruit, lime and mint, with a bright, assertive finish that dances on the tongue.
The vineyard is the first in the area and part of a residential development near Levin, known for its market gardens.
- Four stars (out of five)
- Good value
Momo Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2009
(about $19.95)
Fragrant with attractively lush fruit held together with a crisp acidity and a long finish.
- Three stars (out of five)
- Average value
Stoneleigh Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2009
(about $23, but look for specials)
A simple, refreshing wine, fragrant with hints of tropical and passionfruit, backed by a crisp, minerally finish.
- Three stars (out of five)
- Below average value
Stoneleigh Rapaura Series Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2009
(about $27)
A pungent funky wine, with layers of flavour - green fruits, fresh guava, kiwi and passionfruit, a bright intensity and a dry, long finish.
- Four stars (out of five)
- Average value
Te Mania Nelson Sauvignon blanc 2009
(about $19)
A lighter style with hints of ripe golden delicious apple, passionfruit and a restrained, crisp finish.
- Three stars (out of five)
- 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.
