Five New Zealand Sauvignon’s You Must Try
It is well known that New Zealand produces the very best Sauvignon Blanc’s (although producers in the Loire and Bordeaux might well disagree!). Along with Pinot Noir, the countries other strength, over 73% of New Zealands exports to the UK are from these two vines.
A quick scout through my tasitng notes has highlighted just how many wines I have sampled from New Zealand. The following are five Sauvignon Blanc’s that come highly recommended. Hopefully all from producers you haven’t come across before.
Lake Chalice Sauvignon Blanc 2004 [] - gooseberry and lime flavours enlivened with mouth-watering acidity
Springbank Sauvignon Blanc [] - current vintage is 2006 full of depth and elegance of fruit and minerality
Blind River Sauvignon Blanc 2006 - exclusive to in the UK (£9.99) packed with citrus, lime, passionfruit and gooseberry
Dashwood Sauvignon Blanc [] - consistently glorious vintage after vintage
Chimney Creek Sauvignon Blanc [] - clean, fresh and punchy. Chimney Creek is the UK export label for the Giesen Wine Estate. (Grape Mix : 85% Sauvignon Blanc, 11% Chardonnay & 4% Semillon).
It’s always nice to discover new Kiwi offerings, especially here in L.A. where our wine outlets have vast selections. For many who may not have tried NZ Sauvs, let me recommend a few winners they’d be excited to sample if they find locally onr on the net. The Rolls Royce of NZSB’s is the CLOUDY BAY. Hands down - my favorite wine of all time. Shoot for Craggy Range, Mount Riley and Mount Nelson as serious discoveries. Among the more accessible in stores are the Spy Valley and Kim Crawford which are a terrific introduction, which is like when Santa Margherita introduced Pinot Grigio to so many of us. The irony is now many California vintners are copying the NZ style for their Sauvs because of the impact NZ has had on the new wine drinkers.