Nautilus The Paper Nautilus Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2016 $35 I’m a huge fan of this style of sauvignon blanc. I love that a ‘paper nautilus’ is only released when the fruit is exceptional (and 2016 was a rip roarer of a vintage) and I love that it’s been fermented in just one, single, old French […]
Clark Estate Clericus Wild Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2016 $35 Classic barrel fermented, wild-fermented style here, stacked with smoked passionfruit, bruised basil, toasty marzipan notes, soft pepper and lemongrass layers. Named for the most noble and intellectuals in Roman society, this is definitely the thinking persons’ sauvignon. www.clarkestate.com
Ash Ridge Hawke’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2017 $21 Lemon, lime notes on the nose and palate, they’re edged with seashell minerality and expect some marzipan and toasty notes from the 85% barrel fermentation as well. It could do with more generosity and freshness in the mid palate however. www.ashridgewines.co.nz
Hunter’s Kāho Roa Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2017 $23.90 Sourced from the clay-rich soils of their Omaka vineyard, the fruit for this sauvignon was crushed and the cloudy, high-solids juice poured directly into old French oak puncheons for a wild yeast (spontaneous) fermentation. The wine was then aged on its lees for 6 months before bottling, […]
Here’s a sauvignon blanc for chardonnay fans. Roasty, toasty and tropically taut and crisp, it’s bursting with smoked passionfruit punchiness and a lick of lemongrass on the finish. A very drinkable, in fact dangerously drinkable example. www.mountbrown.co.nz
How is it that a sauvignon blanc can be fresh, frisky and citrusy, but also buxom and bodacious at the same time? When it’s the Leveret Reserve style, that’s how. Displaying all that juicy passionfruit, pineapple and lime loveliness we expect in Marlborough sauvignon, yet somehow morphing the herbaceousness into a soft, smoky spectrum of […]
‘‘Te Ahu’’ loosely translates to ‘‘new beginning’’ in Maori and for many sauvignon blanc fans, one sip of this will send them into new realms of possibility. Barrel-fermented, as opposed to the usual stainless-steel treatment, and using wild, indigenous yeasts, this wine offers almond meal, frangipani, freshly baled hay and baked tropical fruits on the […]
I’m on a crusade to convert more people over to the barrel fermented side of the sauvignon fence if it’s the last thing I do. Gary and Valley Neale are experts in this field and this eye-poppingly good example is now a firm favourite of mine. Toasty, macadamia, buttered crumpet and roast peach aromatics lead […]
Bellbird Spring ‘Block Eight’ Sauvignon Blanc 2013 $30 ★★★★★ This is a beautifully aromatic, organic sauvignon grown on Waipara’s ‘Glasnevin Gravels’. Made by Guy Porter, it shows soft, finely tuned oak influence, elderflower, white peach and lemony characters. It’s a stunning exercise in restraint with all the flavours and textures working in harmony, finishing with complex […]