Browse Tag

sauvignon blanc

Moutere, I’m in love

[label]Kahurangi Estate 2002 Sauvignon Blanc (Moutere) – Zingy, showing capsicum and minerality with a tart, grapey quality. Which would all be fine, except that there’s also a generous serving of canned peas along for the ride…not an unusual fate when one ages a sauvignon blanc that probably wasn’t meant for aging. (3/05)

Ricky

[label]Kahurangi Estate 2004 Sauvignon Blanc (Nelson) – The 2004 vintage was rife with problematic and/or nonexistent ripening, and this wine (harvested under 20 brix) is no exception. indeed, there’s a definite Serrano chile character to the grassy, leafy, lime rind palate. Underripe, for sure. (3/05)

Five…is right out

Five Oaks 2004 Sauvignon Blanc (Moutere) – Ripe apple, green plum and lemon. Ripe and rather fine. Why is this so much better than most of the rest of the Kahurangi sauvignons? The difference is rather dramatic. (3/05)

Lahn work

[label]St. Michael-Eppan 2004 Sauvignon Blanc Lahn (Alto Adige) – Very intense, though the form of the intensity is somewhat mysterious. There’s plenty of volume-enhanced green fruit and grass to provide varietal character, and the wine has a pronounced clarity about it, revealing all the minerality and piercing acidity underneath. Yet the wine presents itself in discrete panes rather than a cohesive whole. Everything is, frankly, terrific, and yet it doesn’t quite come together for me. On the other hand, I feel silly criticizing a wine with so many obvious qualities. (12/07)

Crossings guard

[vineyard]The Crossings 2006 Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough) – Fine, well-managed sauvignon, with the zingy green “Marlboroughness” restrained just enough for polite company, leaving the structure and a hint of flaky minerality intact. There’s some fruit, but it’s not the soft, tropical sort that’s infecting the region’s cheaper bottlings…instead it’s crisp and green and quite fun. A good, solid wine right at the mean of the region’s style. (11/07)

[label]Di Stefano 2006 Sauvignon Blanc (Columbia Valley) – 92% sauvignon blanc, 8% sémillon. Fig, cucumber and white rose. Round and ripe, with good acidity, yet it also seems softened…normally, I’d guess with a tiny bit of aging in wood, but that doesn’t seem otherwise indicated here. Pretty nice. (9/07)

Original Seresin

[hand]Seresin 2005 Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough) – One of the most polished and professional Marlborough sauvignons on the market. Bitter melon, lemongrass, intense lime and grapefruit, pomegranate, and acidity so vivid it’s palate-drying form the heart of this wine, but what’s striking is the confident, almost swaggering sophistication in the face of all that boisterous sauvignon-ness. Very, very good. (9/07)

Blackenblanc

[bottles]Blackenbrook 2004 Sauvignon Blanc (Nelson) – Clean and crisp, with intense acidity lent just enough support to create a balanced wine. Aromas come in the form of green apple, passion fruit, light but ripe red pepper, pear juice, and dried pineapple. In other words, this wine straddles two commercially-relevant styles – the crisp, peppery sauvignon that made New Zealand’s sauvignon splash, and the more modern fruit salad version – merged with élan. It has some length, too, so it just might last for a few years. This doesn’t particularly stand out among New Zealand’s many sauvignons, but it is more deftly done than most. (3/05)

More here.

Right or wrong

[label]Southern Right 2006 Sauvignon Blanc (Walker Bay) – Vivid, powerful sauvignon that nudges up against the lower barrier of stridency. Lashings of green-white fruit whip and slash the palate, with the sort of acidity intense enough to dry like tannin. This is very, very good, but it’s definitely an attention hog. (9/07)

Silver

[bottle]Sterling 2005 Sauvignon Blanc (Napa Valley) – Melon, pineapple, ultra-ripe lemon marmalade and fig, with dryish honey notes and isolated acidity. It doesn’t taste confected, but it does taste mass-market. (8/07)