Aaron Winsor
Hello Prince Albert! Who doesn’t love a good Sauvignon Blanc on a hot summer day? Not just any Sauvignon Blanc will do either; many summertime wine drinkers love the Sauv Blancs of Marlborough, New Zealand. In fact, Sauv Blanc is considered the trademark wine of New Zealand (specifically from the Marlborough region) and while Sauv Blanc from other areas of the world are still delicious, nothing quite compares to the intense flavors of NZ Sauv Blanc. What makes NZ Sauv Blanc taste the way it does and why should you try it?
Sauv Blanc is considered an aromatic grape varietal meaning that the juice and wine made from these grapes is incredibly flavorful and tangy. In technical terms, the two aspects of NZ Sauv Blanc that really stand out are the elevated levels of intensity and acidity. You can often smell a glass of Sauvignon Blanc from several feet away, sometimes even from across the room. The aromas from this white wine always remind me of the seaside with its crisp salty air, mineral twang and bright, grassy citrus notes. The intense aromas of Sauv Blanc instantly make my mouth water and think of the amazing food combinations it would pair with.
What makes New Zealand special for growing Sauv Blanc? When grown in colder regions, Sauvignon Blanc retains its high acidity levels and green/citrus flavor profile. Since Marlborough is located on one of the most Northern tips of New Zealand, its vineyards are heavily moderated by cooling winds and ambient temperatures of the ocean. The effects of this moderation are cooler temperatures in the vineyards, which allows just enough heat for fruit to develop but also maintain high levels of acidity in the grapes.
You may notice that NZ Sauv Blanc often carries other flavors such as intense tropical fruits (pineapple, guava, passionfruit). These flavors develop from the intense heat of the sun during the day which allows the aromatic Sauv Blanc grapes to ripen and as night arrives, the temperature levels in the vineyards drop dramatically. As a result of these diurnal swings (day to night) the grapes obtain intense tropical fruit notes from the heat of the sun with the added benefit of keeping its crisp, tangy acidity intact from the cool night.
I was slightly disappointed with my wine picks this week (both are NZ Sauvignon Blanc of course) as one tasted too sour (overwhelming the citrus, grass and tropical notes) while the other let me down slightly with its lower-than expected intensity and acidity levels. Overall however, I still enjoyed both and would gladly pair them with several types of food or grilled veggies.
You can see a bit of insight into how I judge the quality and final scores of the wines I taste by understanding the expectations I have of the wines. For example, when tasting NZ Sauv Blanc, I expect those high levels of flavor and acidity and while a slight drop in those technical areas hurts the point score a bit, I often take the price and value of the wine into heavy consideration as well. In this case, $30 for each of these bottles feels somewhat steep and I would pick other bottles before these again like the tried-and-true Kim Crawford or Sunday Sail. I feel like these should be around $22 each after tax but I also understand that the days of those prices are gone in SK.
The Sauvignon Blanc varietal is often served at food parties, barbeques or tasting events because it charges up the tastebuds and brings an enormous amount of flavor. Due to its higher acid content, it pairs exceptionally well with salty or tangy foods while fatty foods create a harmonious texture and tasting experience for the senses. For an easy snack, cheat a little by buying pre-made bacon-wrapped scallops then pair them with an ice-cold NZ Sauv Blanc. Your tastebuds will thank you! Here are my wine picks of the week!
Saint Claire Sauvignon Blanc 2022: (Marlborough, New Zealand). Dry white, pale lemon/green color. The high intensity nose brings fresh scents of green peppers, citrus fruit, gooseberries, pineapple, tropical passionfruit and mowed grass/greens. The intensity continues on the palate with extremely tart gooseberries, lemon juice/fruit, tangy capsicum vegetables (peppers) and herbaceous grass mixed with bright citrus. Acidity is very high which can sting the mouth a bit and overpower with its sourness. Light-bodied and intensely sour at first, the wine levels out after the medium-length mid palate and once the acidity begins to subside, fresh garden veggies (plant stems/grass) and faint tropical notes appear (pineapple). These grassy flavors add a touch of bitterness but become the dominant flavor on the medium-length finish once the tropical fruit and citrus flavors fade. A bit out of balance but the perfect choice for foods like goat cheese with herbs, fresh salads with onions, radish and vinaigrette, asparagus-topped quiche or pan-seared scallops with a lemon-zest sauce. Good! $30, 12.5% ABV
Spy Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2022: (Marlborough, New Zealand). Dry white, pale lemon color with a greenish hue. The bouquet of this NZ white is medium-plus intense with wet rocks/mineral, passionfruit, guava and lively citrus. This Sauv Blanc seems to lean more into the citrus and tropical fruit notes on the first few sips with pineapple and lemon/lime peels balanced by medium-plus acidity. The acidity appears with a quick zip of sharpness then mellows out as it blends with the citrus, gooseberries and chalky mineral tones. The intensity of flavors is medium-plus but the depth of flavor (concentration) falls lower to medium. As a light sipping white, this one does the job, but I expected more intensity and acidity to make it exciting. The finish is medium-length and leaves the tastebuds with traces of citrus and fading tropical fruit. Will pair well with chicken piccata, lemon pasta or seafood. Good! $30, 12.5% ABV
Cheers and thanks for reading!
