New Zealand wines made a big splash with zippy Sauvignon Blancs, most of which show a little grassy or green quality to them. The Marlborough region, on the South Island, is where the Sauvignon Blancs are concentrated. In the decade between 2000 and 2010 this region doubled it’s number of wineries and grape growers during an explosive growth period. Now New Zealand is making Bordeaux style reds and lots of Pinot Noir as well on both the North and South Islands. But this is where they made their foothold in the world wine market, so let’s take a look at a couple of Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs. Here’s the first one:
Wine: 2011 Nine Walks Sauvignon Blanc
Winery Location: Marlborough, New Zealand
Tasted By: Neil & Cheri Date: March 2014
Tasting Notes: – this is very pale yellow with some green tones. On the nose peach, grapefruit and green notes come through. Maybe some blackcurrant bud as well (see what happens when you get a wine aroma kit for a birthday present!). The wine is a little confusing at first, as it was almost fizzy out of the bottle. It was also a little flat from a flavor profile perspective. We left it in the fridge for a day and it evened out. The effervescence was gone and the wine showed some grapefruit with bright acid and a clean finish. It’s good, but not great. There are better options.
Price Point – $12
Would We Buy It? – not again. Right out of the bottle I did not like it. After a day in the refrigerator I could drink it and it was pretty good, but nothing special. There are definitely lots of options in this price range, and I would try some of those. Somewhat disappointing.
So our first example is less than thrilling. We’ll take a look at another option from the Marlborough region in our next blog.
A votre sante!
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