WTN & a Q for Sue: 2006 Isabel Sauv Blanc

[Jenise]

2006 Isabel Sauvignon Blanc
Once upon a time, a bottle of Isabel SB would be so pale it was almost clear. The winemaker himself told Sue, me and Robin when the three of us visited the winery in 2000 that both his pinot and sauv blanc were a deliberately leaner, more severe style. I was already a fan, finding them very lanky and precise, and favoring lime among the various citrus fruits NZ sauv blancs are typically a basket of. It was the Miss Jean Brodie of sauvignon blancs. It had been a few years between my last bottle and this 2006 I picked up last week. It's not blowsy, but neither is it severe or precise. It's a golden chardonnay yellow suggesting more ripeness and extraction, and though quite tasty the bottle we enjoyed last night lacked the spinster personality that used to set it out from the pack. Sue, is this just an odd year or has Isabel changed its program in the last few years?

2006 Isabel Sauvignon Blanc
suggesting more ripeness and extraction... Sue, is this just an odd year or has Isabel changed its program in the last few years?

Well I'm not Sue, but the 2006 was a warmer vintage for them (with corresponding higher grape sugar and lower grape acidity) plus they gave it some skin contact, so everything you tasted and suggested looks spot on. I wonder why they didn't pick more of the fruit earlier, or maybe they wanted to take advantage of the 2006 ripeness for a change. It would/will be interesting to see what you think of the 2007.

Not Sue either, but I would point out that the winemaker who would have been at Isabel back in 2000 isn't there anymore. Jeff Sinnott is the winemaker at Amisfield in Central Otago now, where he makes a solid Sauvignon Blanc but better Pinot Noir.

Joe

[Jenise]

Not Sue either, but I would point out that the winemaker who would have been at Isabel back in 2000 isn't there anymore. Jeff Sinnott is the winemaker at Amisfield in Central Otago now, where he makes a solid Sauvignon Blanc but better Pinot Noir.

Joe

In other words I may never see my beloved Isabel as I knew her again? Oh well, back to South Africa.

Thanks Ben and Joe.

2006 Isabel Sauvignon Blanc
Once upon a time, a bottle of Isabel SB would be so pale it was almost clear. The winemaker himself told Sue, me and Robin when the three of us visited the winery in 2000 that both his pinot and sauv blanc were a deliberately leaner, more severe style. .....
Sue, is this just an odd year or has Isabel changed its program in the last few years?

Jenise,
Ben and Joe have already given you answers.
When Jeff Sinnott left Isabel, I thought the wines took a dive in quality and I couldn't understand some of the reviews. Since then I've found the wines to be up and down. I loved the 2004 sauvignon blanc but this 2006 sauvignon did not score highly for me in a blind tasting - perhaps because my expectations were higher for that vintage. It is an attempt at the 'alternative' style but it doesn't do it nearly as well as Dog Point Section 94, or Cloudy Bay Te Koko (current release 2005).

My notes: Isabel Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2006
A subdued, soft, funky, warm, rich style with a mealy, caramel influence, a departure from the typically high acid, tropical fruit, punchy, green-edged Marlborough savvies. There's a component of older oak and wild yeasts adding richness to the melon and stonefruit flavours and there's a wee burst of apple acidity on the slightly grainy finish. 13% alcohol. Screwcap closure. Tasted July 2007.

I've got the 2007 vintage here to try, so that will be interesting. I'll let you know how it goes.

Cheers,
Sue