WTN: 2007 Mount Nelson Sauvignon Blanc

Marlborough, New Zealand

As the back label promises, this is a unique wine...in both good and bad ways.

Color: is very clear with a hint of greenish gold

Nose: Cat pee? Strongly so. grapefruit. vegetables.

Palate: Lean mouthfeel with low alcohol (12.5% nominal). Quite bright and bracing acidity. Palate is a new one for me, with strong asparagus, bell pepper, and grapefruit notes.

Opinion: We finished this bottle, so that says one thing about it. Certainly a great wine for a day pushing 94 degrees at 8:00 p.m. On the other hand, the vegetal character makes me say that I found the wine more interesting and unique than "good." As I told Kevin, I respect the wine more than I liked it. Still...I really liked the distinctiveness and boldness of the wine, and it was great on a hot day. 88 points?

On the other hand, the vegetal character makes me say that I found the wine more interesting and unique than "good."

Ha - you've discovered methoxypyrazine! That character can get stronger and stronger as the wine develops.

On the other hand, the vegetal character makes me say that I found the wine more interesting and unique than "good."

Ha - you've discovered methoxypyrazine! That character can get stronger and stronger as the wine develops.

Eek. So your advice is that this wine should not be "aged" It don't need to get any stronger.

Eek. So your advice is that this wine should not be "aged" It don't need to get any stronger.

It will eventually mellow out - maybe after about 10 years! You either like it or you don't. In most cases people don't, which is why our wine producers tell us to drink Sauvignon Blanc when it is young. This is coming up to two years old now and that is getting 'old' for many SB's.

I was very disappointed with a Saint Clair Wairau Reserve Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2007, that I opened at Christmas 2008. This had been my top SB's of the Year 12 months earlier. In Dec 2008, I wrote in my notes, " ...very disappointing because it had developed some canned asparagus/canned pea characters. The punch and vibrancy was gone. We should have drunk this last Christmas had I known then that this wine would fallen over so quickly"

However, I've had some 2006's that were still drinking well two years after vintage. I just don't think 2007 had the ripeness that 2006 did, hence more methoxypyrazines in the wines.