NZ Sauvignon Blanc - Recommendations?

WINE TALK
1

My wife and I like Kim Crawford. Sells for about $20.

2

+1

We also like the Matua Paratai. It has a little less citrus and more tropical fruit.

3

Drylands … http://drylands.co.nz/ and Whitehaven … http://whitehaven.co.nz/

4

Wither Hills

5

My favorites from recent tastings

Tevoitdale
Bell bird springs block 8
Craters rim
Vavasour
Dog point
Two rivers
Spy valley
Lawson’s Dry Hills
Stoneleight
Te mania
Ata Ranghi
Trinity Hill
Craggy Range

6

Many NZ SBs (especially those from Marlborough) have a habit of tasting like each other… they’re somewhat polarizing here, but for the money i (and many lay drinkers) find them quite a compelling cheap white. I think they’re at their best closest to vintage. The Kin Crawford mentioned above is a great example in this style.

There are a few producers who manage to make more complex wines - coaxing more minerality and/or texture. Some I like:
Dog Point
Cloudy Bay (I think they’ve returned to form a little)
Greywacke
Seresin
Astrolabe
Villa Maria Reserve
Palliser
Ata Rangi

2 Likes
7

I will go +1 on the Drylands…and it doesn’t taste like every other NZ SB out there. Seems like everyone is trying to be like Cloudy Bay and Kim Crawford so you have a bunch of decent wines but no sense of place.

8

Hard to find a bad one, really.

My wife drinks NZ SAv Blancs like Koolaide. And most are quite good:

Nobilo - Crazy good for $10
Nobilo Icon - Higher quality but around $18
Brancott - Decent for $10 (and sometimes less)
Kim Crawford - Ubiquitous, but solid for $12
Villa Maria Private Bin - Another very decent value for around $12
Villa Maria Cellar Selection - Another dimension/complexity for around $20
Whitehaven - Damn yummy - For about $16

http://www.b-21.com/searchwine.asp#

9

Cooper’s Creek Cat’s Phee on a Gooseberry Bush?
The ATF or whatever powers that be, refused the word “pee” so this is how it came out.
BTW, this is a REAL bottle of SB! It was sent to me as a media sample and I laughed about it for months.
Then I accidently dropped the bottle in my garage and the garage stank for weeks!

10

Pay attention to Clayton’s list - it is the best of the best. I’d add;

Wither Hills Rarangi
Villa Maria Graham’s (from the Awatere - my favorite sub-app.)

I’m over in NZ every year to make SB (and PN) as I find it to be possibly the best value in world class wine that one can find. The average Marlborough SB is decent; the best are something special and you can hardly drop more than 20-some bucks on them. While there, I try to sample all the good ones, then bring back my favorites (some are not available in the US).

The less expensive ones listed by some here are good reco’s, especially the Wither Hills regular, the Whitehaven (though it can be a little sweet) and Kim Crawford.

I’d underline Clayton’s recommendation of Greywacke and Dog Point. Made at the same place, they vie for my favorite almost every year.
Dog Point is well distributed here (the 2011 should be available by now) and Greywacke should be getting around as they appointed a distributor for the US some time within the last year. Pay particular attention to these wines. They actually improve over time both after opening and in the bottle. (Isn’t NZ SB not supposed to do that?)

Peter Rosback
Sineann

1 Like
11

I would add Isabel to the list. Costs around $20 and has a lot more going on (for my tastes) than the average NZ SB. They also make a very fine Pinot Gris.

12

Kim Crawford and Cloudy Bay are Dianne’s staples - very distinctive grapefruit (KC often has pink grapefruit overtones). As I recall, Drylands a couple years ago had a significant lime nose with a less significant grapefruit nose. Usually no cat pee in KC, but I get a whiff occasionally. None of these have an offputting cat pee nose, but if you have a nose for it, you will pick it up.

Bill

13

It’s always a dangerous phrase to use, but… the “industry consensus on best of breed” for Marlborough generally falls with- Herzog, Dog Point, Seresin and Clos Henri. Of course there are many quality Sauvignons in NZ, but these really stand out.

1 Like
14

Don’t like at all…too intense. Much prefer the regular Matua at $10 or so retail…It’s $6 for me at the company story…Treasury Wine

15

I’d echo a lot of the above, but for me (and it is hard to find stateside), Villa Maria’a Clifford Bay Reserve is a complicated and very impressive wine.

16

Agreed… i haven’t seen it here in the US, But the VM Clifford Bay Reserve was a true revelation when they first released this wine (1996?). It set the benchmark for the Awatere Valley (most Marlborough SB comes from the Wairau Valley). I’ve also had some aged examples of this wine and it actually develops quite nicely.

17

Clos Henri, Herzog & Seresin were at the very top for me when I visited NZ a few years ago. Unfortunately only Seresin makes it to California. I see Clos Henri for sale in WA and OR now and may have to order some. Not something I usually do for sub-$20 whites but it’s that good. Family from Sancerre, fruit from NZ.

18

How come no mention of ‘Oyster Bay’ at all [bleh.gif]
We heard a lot about ‘Yellow Tail’ after all [bleh.gif] [bleh.gif]

Cheers

19

Babich is very solid

20

Don’t forget ‘Monkey Bay’…

Yellow Tail’s true NZ heir.