So Tim saying he's only posted two New Zealand TNs made me wonder how many more I've posted. So I looked. And the answer is: quite a few. 25 of them in 2016 and 2017. Several reasons: Sue Courtney, my brother who works for NZ Airlines, and Hawaii--where there are a lot of kiwi wines and where SB is pretty much the perfect thing to drink in the tropics. Sue introduced me to all the incredible wild yeast Sauvignon Blancs, my brother brought me things like the wicked Man O'War you see listed here first, and others were purchased here or in Hawaii which gets a lot of Kiwi imports.
2013 Man O' War Vineyards Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Waiheke Island Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend
The Semillon in this blend gives a distinctive lift to the Sauv Blanc. Dry with quince and wet wool on the nose, and concentrated notes of guince, cactus pear, agave and grapefruit on the palate. Superb.
2014 Sacred Hill Pinot Noir Marlborough
Why beat around the bush: it's still crappy.
2012 Dog Point Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc Section 94 Marlborough
Lots of wow factor here. Has developed well over the past year, showing a lot of washed-rind cheese flavors as well as gooseberry and lime peel. Intense, exciting.
2012 Greywacke Chardonnay Marlborough
Heavily oaked with artificial lemon-lime flavors and a touch of plastic picnic table cover. I'm sure it wasn't meant to be drunk five years out, but at the same time, if this doesn't taste like chardonnay now did it ever? (And believe me, I went at this open-minded--I love Greywacke Sauv Blanc).
1999 Stonyridge Vineyard Larose Waiheke Island Red Bordeaux Blend
Holding up well but less vibrant than last bottle about two years ago, and the fruit faded on the second pour. Drink up.
2016 Fernlands Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough
A great little QPR sauv blanc in the typical New Zealand style: citrus fruit, kaffir lime leaf, a little green bell pepper.
2015 Astrolabe Wines Sauvignon Blanc Province Marlborough
Pale and transparent with a green tint. Nose of white grapefruit with minerals and raw spinach on the palate. Dryer than most with a spotlessly clean finish. Heavenly.
2015 Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc Single Vineyard Te Muna Road Vineyard Martinborough
Been awhile since I've had a CR SB. This has great white fruit character and minerality but (thankfully) lacks the washed rind cheese aspect I remember from earlier vintages. Well balanced, interesting.
14 Jules Taylor Sauvignon Blanc OTQ Marlborough
Wow. Superbly concentrated fruit--citrus, kaffir lime leaf, gooseberry, grass-- with nervy, wild things from the wild yeast process. Every sip's different and joyous.
2016 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough
Very crisp, with a harmonious choir of just about everything one can find in Sauvignon Blanc with no one note standing out. The only thing lacking was the intensity I associate with the CB and the best NZ wines. Doesn't merit the $27 price.
2008 Craggy Range Te Kahu Gimblett Gravels Vineyard Red Blend
Deep purple color, vibrant cab-esque nose but surprisingly tight and primary on the palate like a new release--no bottle age development at all. Needs more time.
2014 Sacred Hill Pinot Noir Marlborough
So the bloom is off the rose: have for the most part felt the wines I bought from Last Bottle matched expectations based on some tempering of what they say and what I've read 'between the lines'. But not this time: it is not "super complex". It does not "blow the doors off domestic versions." It is not "deliciously layered" and it does not "remind us of Burgundy or even Barolo." Rather, it is light, ripe and simple. Nose reminds me a bit of the 'bug spray' character I get from hot climate CA zins (YUCK). Soft palate, short finish, short life.
2013 Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc Wild Marlborough
If I had to choose just one SB to drink for the rest of my life, this might be the one. Intense gooseberry, lime, lemongrass and spice with just a touch of smoke.
2014 Greywacke Pinot Gris Marlborough
Surprisingly strong off-dry flavors of pear, kaffir lime, ginger, tangerine and lychee fruit with savory accents of cinnamon, fresh bay leaf and hay. Perfumey Alsatian nose not unlike gewurz and some viogniers. Better second day. A serious wine and deftly executed even if not quite what I expected.
2012 Dog Point Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc Section 94 Marlborough
Concentrated notes of lime peel, guava, lemon grass, dust and toasted pine nuts. Very much like the normal dog point, but on steroids.
2014 Pegasus Bay Sauvignon Blanc-Sémillon Waipara
A really vivid, full throttle New World version of white Bordeaux. Bright lemon-lime top notes from the SB balanced by the creamy underlying richness of the Semillon. Serious and fun at the same time.
2014 Jules Taylor Sauvignon Blanc OTQ Marlborough
Gorgeous. Rounded yellow fruit with depth and richness and an assertive streak of bay leaf. Very different from the typical NZ mold.
2013 Stoneleigh Pinot Noir Latitude Marlborough
Too disagreeable on day one, but opened up pleasantly overnight with raspberry and herbs. Decent for a food wine.
2012 Giesen Sauvignon Blanc The August 1888 Marlborough
Rich, intense, stunning. Golden color from extended lees and oak, Grassy, dusty and exotic. A real head turner. Similar in style to California's Bevan.
2012 Kumeu River Chardonnay Hunting Hill
Nose of toasty oak and sweet fruit. On the palate quince, movie popcorn and more toast. Unique, balanced, swoon-worthy. I have no reference point for what chardonnay from NZ should taste like but this doesn't taste like chardonnay from anywhere else.
2015 Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough
Almost clear color. In the glass fresh cut grass, white grapefruit and tarragon define the nose and palate. Fresh and vibrant.
2013 Astrolabe Wines Chenin Blanc Wrekin Vineyard Marlborough
Straw color. Serious, concentrated flavors of quince, white nectarine and lychee nut obscured by extreme dryness unusual for CB. Much better on second day, in fact impressive, but this wine needs time. Drink next: 2018.
2013 Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc Wild Marlborough
Intense and mouthfilling (full bodied) with gooseberry, white grapefruit, kaffir lime leaf, tarragon, hay, pine needle and I don't know what else. Can probably sum it up best with my husband's first comment (he was drinking blind): "Holy SHIT! This is amazing!!!"
2014 Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough
Restrained and a little fierce, this shows gooseberry and grapefruit with crushed rocks, seashells and just a hint of grass. Classic New Zealand at the obvious higher end.
2015 Sauvignon Republic Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough
The '14 was great, but the '15 is screechy with more acid than fruit. Thumbs down.