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New
Zealand Sauvignon Blanc
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June
10, 2002 • WestAmerica Bank
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In search of that appellation-defining
varietal statement "cat's pee on a gooseberry bush" (according to
Down Under wine writer Oz
Clarke), we selected ten examples of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.
While we found mine loads of minerals, bushels of citrus fruits and
baskets of flowers, we found thankfully few gooseberry bushes desecrated
by feline urine. This was a cheese and cracker event. A bargain wine
was among the best examples and favorites.
Brand
Varietal /
"Type"
Vintage, Appellation,
Vineyard
TASTING
NOTES:
Color; aroma; flavor; body;
balance; finish. Alcohol. Varietal
composition
(if known). Summary. ($
paid)
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Wines are considered
Equal Quality
Within Categories of Recommendation
(Listed
Alphabetically by Brand)
consensus
terms appear in bold
(negatives?, possible flaws? are in
brackets)
* indicates a second or third party
WEBSITE
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HIGHLY
RECOMMENDED
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 Kim
Crawford
Sauvignon Blanc
2001 Marlborough
Clear, pale
yellow color; closed at first, opened with
warming to reveal complex, sweet, tropical
fruit, lemon-lime, grass, tule,
pepperoncini, floral, rose, vanilla
cream, honey and faintly musty aromas; ripe,
straightforward, clean, dry, citrus
gumdrop, lemon, grapefruit, pear,
anise-licorice, slightly grassy, faintly mineral
flavors; medium body; snappy, crisp balance;
medium-long finish is crisp, mouthwatering
(aspartame?, artificial sweetener?). 12.5%
alcohol. Nearly a textbook example of
attractive, easy drinking, inoffensive Sauvignon
Blanc. ($15) WEBSITE
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 Nobilo
Sauvignon
Blanc
2001 Marlborough
Clear, very
pale green-gold color; big, complex,
citrus, lemon, grapefruit, orange
peel, nectarine, peach, gooseberry,
herbs, green olive and acrid, aggressive,
grassy, catbox aromas;
clean, lively, pure, strong
citrus fruit, lemon-lime, grapefruit,
fresh mown grass, fennel and very bold, very
minerally flavors (ammonia?); light body;
sweet-tart, good balance (sour?);
finishes crisp and clean, long and
strong. 12% alcohol. "This IS
Sauvignon Blanc," says Ron. "It's a party in
a bottle," says Bob - bring the grilled pork
loin with roasted garlic-cilantro-sage pesto,
grilled asparagus spears and grilled fennel bulb
slices! ($10) BEST
BUY WEBSITE
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 Thornbury
Sauvignon
Blanc 2001 Marlborough
Clear, pale
yellow-green color; attractive, apricot jam,
sweet lime, grapefruit, lees, spice,
litchi nut, floral, flint, fresh herb,
grass and hay aromas with a little
earth, mild catbox and matchstick
(SO2?);
sappy fruit, lemon-lime, pepper, grass
and mineral flavors; good mouthfeel, lush,
medium-full body; good balance, slightly
tart; somewhat lingering, mineral,
mouthwatering finish. 13% alcohol. Very
agreeable, distinctive, simple, easy,
balanced, enjoyable wine. ($16)
WEBSITE
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RECOMMENDED
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 Forefathers
Sauvignon Blanc
2000 Marlborough
Clear, pale
straw color; light fruit, citrus, lemon, peach,
honey, grass, catbox, flint, earth
and barnyard aromas
(H2S?);
light, ripe fruit, citrus, grass, hay,
mineral and old, musty flavors; good
mouthfeel, medium to full body;
good balance, slightly tart; lingering,
but light and delicate finish. 13% alcohol. This
wine saw no oak and no malolactic. Somewhat
controversial with some tasters finding flaws,
others enjoying a lighter style, pleasant and
balanced wine. ($16)
WEBSITE
n/a
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 Pegasus
Bay
Sauvignon Blanc
2000 Waipara
Clear, light
to medium yellow color; complex, overripe fruit
and barrel-fermented, leesy, malolactic aroma
with mint, earth, petroleum, burnt sugar, toast
and sweet oak
(SO2?);
citrus, lemon, peach, pineapple and yeasty,
minerally, earthy, toasty-oaky,
deep flavors; rich, full body; good
balance, crisp, slightly tart; faint heat
and oak tannin (metallic?) in finish. 13%
alcohol. Varietal composition: 76% Sauvignon
Blanc, 24% Semillon. Quite pleasant to
drink, but highly stylized, to the point of
varietal impotence in the aromas. ($18)
WEBSITE
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 Spy
Valley
Sauvignon
Blanc 2001, Marlborough,
"Johnson Estate Limited"
Clear, pale
yellow color; vanilla, lemon, grass,
herb, bell pepper, and matchstick aromas
(rubber tire?,
SO2?);
ripe, slightly sweet, fruit,
melon, "Granny Smith" apple, honey, mineral,
slight oak and vegetal flavors; body; good
balance, slightly tart; long, pleasant
finish. 14% alcohol. Except for the
obvious presence of
SO2,
this is quite an enjoyable wine, made in an
agreeable style. The sulfur smell dissipated
with considerable airing, indicating that the
level will very probably drop in the next few
months and making this wine more accessible
than it is right now. ($12) WEBSITE
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TASTED
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 Giesen
Sauvignon
Blanc
2001 Marlborough
Limpid, very
pale, almost colorless; clean, very
light, fruit, nectarine, plum, with
grass and predominant gunflint, slate and
mineral aromas; light, fairly pleasant,
almost neutral,citrus, peach and grass, with
more mineral than any other flavors;
light body; balance is brisk, crisp and
tart (excessive?); finish is long, clean,
dry and tart. 13% alcohol. Fairly
innocuous, wispy aromas and flavors are clean,
but very tart and acidic. This might be a good
choice to match with raw oysters. ($11)
WEBSITE
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 Villa
Maria
Sauvignon Blanc
"Private Bin"
2000 Marlborough,
"Hawke's Bay"
Clear, light
gold color; cooked fruit, applesauce,
grapefruit, herbal, hay, grass,
vegetal, green olive, green peppercorn,
cucumber, earth, oak, wet cardboard and
turpene aromas (spoilage?, faintly oxidized?);
melon, grapefruit, lemon, mineral, herbal,
vegetal and green olive flavors with a
touch of must and maderization; body; fair
balance, slightly sour, acidic; faint
heat in medium-length finish. 13.5% alcohol.
Requires near-term consumption and thorough
chilling prior to. ($11) WEBSITE
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 Tuatara
Bay Sauvignon
Blanc 1999 Marlborough
Clear, pale
green color; light, closed-in, vinous,
grapefruit, pineapple, perfume, alcohol,
bubblegum, spice, mint, anise and yeast
aromas; light, simple, ripe tropical
fruit, citrus (sweet, like "Tang"),
lemon and green pepper flavors
(volatile?); body; good balance,
crisp, tart; mineral taste in finish, also a
little heat. 12.5% alcohol. Another
controversial wine. This time, the panel was
split between an indifferent majority, who
wasn't terribly excited one way or the other,
and a vocal minority seriously offended by
this wine's flaws. ($4)
WEBSITE
n/a
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NOT
RECOMMENDED
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 Zenith
Sauvignon
Blanc 2000 Marlborough
Clear, pale
yellow-green color; unusual, grassy, old
hay, gooseberry, lemon butter,
buttered zucchini and musty, wet cardboard
aromas (sour milk? filter pad?); heavy,
green, grassy, piney, vegetative, pond water,
barnyard, earthy, minerally
flavors (oxidized?); body; very
tart, sour balance; earthy, bumpy
finish. 12.5% alcohol. Smells fairly
intriguing and appealing, then tastes like
something that was embalmed, should be
flushed and certainly not swallowed. ($11)
WEBSITE
n/a
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This
Panel
included Regulars Mark, Deanna, Glenn,
Bob, Jon, Ray, Tammy, Jim L, and Jim V
About
New Zealand Wine
• About
Sauvignon Blanc
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