grill ’s Sauvignon blanc Tasting
WINTER 2010
2
WINE taste
Sauvignon for our reputation’s sake grill tastes our top savvies.
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ew Zealand, at least in its own imagination, is the world capital of sauvignon blanc: simply, we put more of it onto the international marketplace than any other wineproducing country, and Marlborough has become the universal brand of loud, fresh and stroppy white wine under the sauvignon name. But as arresting as the classic stainless steel Kiwi savvie is, and for all its popularity, it hardly commands a handsome presence on the international fine wine market. So what do we do as restaurateurs seeking to offer the best local produce when it comes to sauvignon blanc? Well, luckily there are a few – a very few given the amount of ordinary swill-it-down savvie we produce – who have applied their not inconsiderable skills to crafting sophisticated wine worthy of New Zealand’s claimed leadership with the variety. We tried a few, with Ben Dugdale and Keith Stewart tasting a range chosen after asking a few top restaurateurs and winemakers for their opinions of the best sauvignon blanc made with an eye to cosmopolitan wine tastes. Here they are, with our panel’s comments. THE ELITE FEW The following wines stood out for their individuality, their characters and not least for the great wine craft
fat palate that has silky moments and some mineral firmness. Detailed, rich and suave. Wonderful wine begging for a butter sautéed filet of John Dory.
they each revealed. It is too early to say if these wines are starting to show elements of a distinctly regional terroir, but there is at least some evidence that terroir in a New Zealand sense is beginning to grow. What is most certain about these wines is that they defy simplistic codification; just accept that all are of equal quality, with variables according to the individual perceptions of each taster who comes across them. They all deserve to be found on wine lists of serious restaurants that pride themselves on the full range of professional skills they display in their menus and service. grill can confidently predict that within this group will be the classics of New Zealand sauvignon blanc that will define our future reputation in the field of fine white wine in general, and sauvignon blanc in particular.
HUIA 2009 SAUVIGNON BLANC Marlborough • Screw Cap Superbly delicate wine with quite lovely detail, it is atypical of Marlborough sauvignon blanc’s usual loud and pushy manner. From the mineral firmness of its nose to the flinty minerality that underpins its palate, this is a wine that begs pride of place on the wine list of a restaurant specialising in fresh local fish. Richly layered spice and fruit notes throughout, with hints of feijoa and a lasting memory of tree-ripened Granny Smith apples on its finely tapered finish.
RIVER FARM 2009 SAINT MAUR SAUVIGNON BLANC Marlborough • Screw Cap Simply stunning wine craft that managed to perfectly balance the numerous ingredients of wild yeast, intense fruit, lees texture and oak. Hints of rose fragrant on the nose, with a spicy flicker of wild yeast leading to a
ESPRIT WINES 2009 METIS Hawkes Bay • Screw Cap This wine is full of grass and wild cheese-like appeal, sophisticated, minerally; it sparks dreams of fresh shellfish and crusty bread. Excellent weight and plenty of interesting character with a crisp manner and fine flavours.
SOURCE BITE Chemical analyses shows that sauvignon blanc from Marlborough has more methoxypyrazine and thiol compounds. Consumer studies show that New Zealanders prefer Marlborough-style sauvignon blanc
MAHI 2008 BALLOT BLOCK SAUVIGNON BLANC Marlborough • Screw Cap Wow. From the first sniff of delicate, fragrant nutmeg spiced oak this curiously lovely wine enchants every particle of taste, but never loses a certain zesty liveliness that ultimately becomes its defining feature. Fruit notes at its heart are tropical flavours with ripe red capsicum, but it is much more than this as silky textures lift details and a very fine balance of structural components that support a tight minerality. Wonderfully fluid without fatness, this is a very fine wine indeed. www.mahiwine.co.nz DOG POINT 2008 SECTION 94 SAUVIGNON BLANC Marlborough • Natural Cork This falls into the powerful category, but without losing any finesse or detail. Rich nose is ripe and balanced with florals, yeast and a nice measure of spice. Lively, almost raucous with a flirty manner it never lacks power or presence and begs bottle age to yield even more complexity than the impressive level it already shows. Hints of preserved lemons are as close as it gets to being simply fruity. All class. www.dogpoint.co.nz MAHI 2008 BOUNDARY FARM SAUVIGNON BLANC Marlborough • Screw Cap Fresh nose is a nice duet on mealiness and fine fruit aromas. Palate has pure Cape gooseberry aspects and a nicely plump texture. Again fine rather
than powerful with charming peach and melon characters and sustained interest in its detail. Long finish is fine, minerally and smeared with fruit flavours. www.mahiwine.co.nz MAHI 2008 THE ALIAS SAUVIGNON BLANC Marlborough • Screw Cap Has elements of sulphide stink with fresh tropicals, richness and touches of sweat. Rather like crème Anglaise made with old eggs. Creamy palate supports this idea, and the stink is replaced by minerality and intense fruit characters all with a mineral tone. Firm, austere at the finish, but tight and composed. Stylishly so. www. mahiwine.co.nz CLOUDY BAY 2007 TE KOKO Marlborough • Screw Cap Pungent nose is bursting with aromatic interest; oak, yeast, lees and ripe sauvignon blanc. The big, slick palate is firm and strong and while there is a circus dimension to the sheer nerve of this wine. Superbly crafted into an exquisite balance of structure and flavour, texture and aroma. Top class wine that defines its own style as a New Zealand classic. Inimitable, firm and persistently strong. TE MATA 2009 CAPE CREST Hawkes Bay • Natural Cork Bristly, aromatic and touched with nettles, it has a rich fruit note that Ben describes as Wattie’s peaches (from the can) with custard. Strong and stroppy, with minerality and some nice ripe textures, hints of allspice throughout and a strong, lingering finish. A bold, assertive wine.
A FEW WORTHIES THAT ATTRACTED INTEREST, but fell short of sophisticated excellence for the reasons specified. SERESIN 2007 MARAMA SAUVIGNON BLANC Marlborough • Screw Cap Classic oak fermented and aged savvie, from the mid-1990s era. Not quite in this company for detail, subtlety or finesse, but a bloody good drink. MATAHIWI 2008 HOLLY SAUVIGNON BLANC Wairarapa • Screw Cap Very stylish wine which only failed to meet the high standards of this category by excessive oak. Ben wants to give it some more time to show its paces, believing there is too much craft and detailed flavour to jump to a hasty conclusion. Certainly has moments of brilliance between the oak staves. MATARIKI 2007 RESERVE SAUVIGNON BLANC Hawkes Bay • Screw Cap Nicely manufactured, with oak and deep, suave flavours, but lacking in panache or life. JACKSON ESTATE 2008 GREY GHOST SAUVIGNON BLANC Marlborough • Screw Cap Very good wine showing the disadvantages of too much sulphur. Has gained an element of wet cardboard since last tasted by both panellists. MATUA VALLEY 2009 PARETAI SAUVIGNON BLANC Marlborough • Screw Cap Vivacious, highly aromatic, punchy wine with pizzazz and arms full of tropical and citrus flavours. Bright and bristling with attitude, but not really in the same camp as those at left. A very good Marlborough savvie classic.