Sauvignon blanc, with its vibrant fruit and crisp acidity, is a good aperitif. It sharpens the appetite and goes particularly well with nibbles such as seafood, cheese, and vegetable dips and spreads like hummus or pesto.
BEST UNDER $20
$19
Four stars (out of five)
Good value
A lively wine with a hint of mineral and creamy nuttiness but the vibrant sauvignon fruit hinting of peach and melon shines through. Nicely balanced and not too assertive with a long finish. Drinking nicely now but not for long keeping.
BEST VALUE
$20
Four stars
Good value
A delicious wine, more about texture and harmony than overt fruit, although there is certainly lovely melon fruit here, along with a hint of mineral, a creamy, nutty undertone and a crisp, well-balanced finish. Good with food.
$16
Three stars
Average value
Fragrant with hints of passionfruit, this is zesty with suggestions of gooseberries and mineral and has a lively, crisp finish. An easy wine for those who don't like assertive sauvignons.
$26
Four stars
Average value
A delicious, lively wine from Jean-Charles Van Hove and Marguerite Dubois who have a close planted vineyard in the Awatere. It is fragrant with hints of ripe cantaloupe melon, red capsicum and passionfruit with mineral undertones, mouthfilling intensity and a long, crisp finish.
$26
Four stars
Average value
The first of the 2011 wines to turn up for tasting, this is pungent with oodles of lush passionfruit and melon, a hint of mineral lovely intensity and a crisp, zesty finish. All you want in an assertive young sauvignon.
$33
Five stars
Good value
One of the handful of wonderful Marlborough sauvignons that step outside the usual mold, this has been barrel-fermented with wild yeast to produce a pungent, textural wine, fragrant and flavoursome with exotic fruit, savoury undertones, with a beautifully balanced, vibrant finish. Perhaps the best Section 94 so far.
ANOTHER GLASS
Vidal Reserve Hawkes Bay Organic Sauvignon Blanc 2010
$23
Three and a half stars
Average value
Vidal's new reserve series of wines with grey labels is made with food in mind. This is taut with restrained fruit, hints of herbs and melon, a slight nuttiness from lees ageing in old oak, and a balanced, zingy finish.
Clos Marguerite Aged on Lees Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2009
$28
Four stars
Average value
At two years old this lees-aged sauvignon hints of tinned peas and mineral, and is richly textural and mouthfilling with savoury undertones and a crisp, balanced finish. A good example of a mature sauvignon blanc that will probably continue to develop for another year or two.
Ti Point Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2010
$23
Three and a half stars
Average value
A suggestion of mineral reminiscent of drops of water on hot river stones, and bright fruit hinting of gooseberries, citrus and herbs, make for a zesty, mouthfilling wine with a crisp intensity and firm, textural finish.
Although wine sent for review is tasted blind to eliminate preconceptions, all wine tasting and evaluation is subjective. These are personal recommendations. charmian.smith@odt.co.nz
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.
