A friend, a bottle of eight year old Rioja and a chat about some of our favourite wines was a good way to unwind last Saturday afternoon as the sun shone its dappled light through the branches of my favourite tree; an old and productive plum tree at the far end of the garden. It's a good place to clear the mind and the conversation made me think about fame versus greatness. The wine we were drinking was Spain's most famous red offering to the wine world - Rioja.
What is New Zealand's most famous offering to the wine world?
Red or white?
There is more than one potential candidate but the obvious answer is the one that sprang to my mind. Sauvignon Blanc. This month and last I have been tasting a vast number of Sauvignon Blancs in the course of my work writing for Drinksbiz magazine and also for this website and wine lists that I put together for the wine trade.
The most impressive Sauvignon Blancs that I have tasted to date come from both Marlborough and Martinborough and since we are starting here with the country's largest wine region, here are my reviews of winemaker Simon Waghorn's newest trio of Sauvignon Blancs. Simon shines a light on Sauvignon in three very different styles, each expressing its own sense of place with the joys and tribulations that Mother Nature provides each year from the southernmost vineyard he makes wine from at Kekerengu on the south coast of the Marlborough region through to the windswept Awatere Valley and onto the sun drenched Wairau Plains.
In summary
All three of these new 2024 Astrolabe Sauvignon Blancs impressed me but it is the flagship Astrolabe Sauvignon Blanc that sets the scene for the wines that show the world the sunshine, the bright clear days and the warmth of this country's biggest wine region.
Here are my reviews.
Astrolabe's new 2024 Sauvignon Blancs
19/20
2024 Astrolabe Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc RRP $28
This is a great flagship wine for any producer, region or country because of its depth of flavour, recognisable varietal flavours, its great balance between vibrant primary fruit, its weighty mid palate, its long finish and its layered style. Typically, Sauvignon Blanc may be a crowd pleaser but the best examples have dryness, depth and succulence that give them complexity in taste and texture. The citrusy purity of flavour in this wine with its layers of tropical fruit and grapefruit notes make it an excellent example of just that.
18.5/20
2024 Astrolabe Awatere Valley Sauvignon Blanc RRP $31
The Awatere Valley has a cooler climate, higher winds and lower crop levels of grapes compared to the Wairau Plains, which is home to the vast majority of Marlborough's grapes, and yet, both can offer outstanding insights into Sauvignon Blanc. The wines made entirely from Awatere grapes tend to be lighter in body and less overt in taste, erring on the fresh herb flavour spectrum with tropical flavour notes in the background and a dry style in the forefront. This wine expresses the flinty freshness of the windy and cool Awarere Valley, with zesty citrusy acidity, offering another perspective on Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and one that suits fresh seafood exceptionally well.
17.5/20
2024 Astrolabe Kekerengu Coast Sauvignon Blanc RRP $38
Flinty green fresh aromas lead into a Sauvignon Blanc with a light body and incredible vibrancy thanks to bold acidity and flavours with notes of green plums and fresh herbs, all of which suggest a cool climate with a relatively long season. And those are exactly the conditions on the coastal vineyard at Kekerengu, south of Blenheim. The fresh sea air, cool nights and warm long-ish season all give succulent acidity and citrus fruit flavours to this lively young wine.
Find out more and buy these wines at astrolabewines.co.nz
