Three crisp new 2022 Sauvignon Blancs
2022 Eradus Awatere Sauvignon Blanc RRP $19.99
Narrow terraces of vines flank the banks of the Awatere River where relatively high winds and cool sea breezes add to the struggle that grapevines endure in this rugged microclimate. Dry stony soils mean that vines need to dig deep to find water and the result is a beautifully fleshy Sauvignon Blanc in this wine, which expresses powerful green herb aromas, which are nicely intermingled with hints of tropical fruit. This is a superbly priced expression of Awatere Valley Sauvignon Blanc in a bone dry wine with a lingering finish. Lovely drinking now. Made from 22 year old vines grown on alluvial soils.
2022 Ana Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc RRP $18.99
A new addition to the Eradus wine stable and named after a new addition to the winery family, Ana-Sophie, who was born just after the 2009 vintage. The grapes here were fermented at cool temperatures in stainless steel to enhance the fruit flavours and it was finished with less than 1 gram of residual sugar - a bone dry style, refreshingly so, with bold flavours of leafy blackcurrant and tomato stalk, leading into tropical aromas and a long finish.
2022 Jules Taylor Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc RRP $25
Spring was wet, bud burst was earlier than 2021 and temperatures cooled down leading into harvest but despite the nervy moments, the 2022 vintage has delivered some superlative Sauvignon Blancs, such as Jules Taylor's vibrant new fruit forward expression here. This is a blend of grapes grown in Taylor Pass, the Lower Wairau Valley, Hawkesbury and Awatere Valley, which combine here in a wine full of aromas of fresh thyme, hints of tomato stalk and a flinty taste, balanced by ripe tropical aromas. A stainless steel fermentation was followed by lees aging which builds textural interest in the mouth.
