Motuwaka Vineyard, a Cloudy Bay fruit source, borders the 65-square-mile Wairau Valley (with 13,000 acres under vine) on the east, and is shaded by the Richmond Ranges in the north.
Photo: Kevin Judd
Marlborough Sauvignon -Kiwis Redefine the Racy Varietal
By Steve PitcherFor the lover of Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand is the Promised Land. No other country takes the varietal as seriously - not even France, its mother country. Here on this clean, green South Pacific island nation, Sauvignon Blanc is king among wines, comprising almost 30 percent of the country's total production. Indeed, the varietal singlehandedly put New Zealand on the world wine map, and it remains its most spectacular wine success story.
Other New Zealand wines are impressive, to be sure. Its Rieslings are showstoppers, made mostly in a dry style that favors the varietal's pristine lime juice/lime zest aromas and flavors, and is often enhanced by appealing minerality. Pinot Noir is evolving in quality and depth of flavor with each succeeding vintage. Chardonnays offer many stylistic delights, mostly without oak excess, from Gisborne's soft and beguiling North Island warm-climate wines with pineapple and peach flavors to Canterbury's crisper, South Island cool-climate renderings with strong citrus/grapefruit and white peach characteristics. Pinot Gris shows much promise, as does Gewürztraminer.
But Sauvignon Blanc is New Zealand's wine specialty - the Kiwi icon - and the wine most closely identified with the country the world over. And of its ten major wine producing regions, Marlborough is far and away number one for Sauvignon Blanc, accounting for 43 percent of the country's total wine output and 84 percent of its Sauvignon Blanc.
New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is essentially crafted in two styles: zesty, pungent, gooseberry, citrus and passion fruit charmers laced with capsicum from Marlborough and other regions on South Island (including Canterbury and Central Otago); and the richer, nectarine, peach and white melon versions from Hawkes Bay north to Auckland on North Island.
Most of the Sauvignon Blanc produced in Marlborough is cold-fermented in stainless steel tanks with minimal handling to optimize the variety's freshness and pungent fruit flavors and aromas. Noteworthy examples include Nautilus Estate, Wairau River (regular bottling), Kim Crawford, Tohu, Lynskeys Wairau Peaks, Matua Valley, Glazebrook, Villa Maria, Highfield Estate, Kaikoura, Lake Chalice and Thornbury. Blending with a little sémillon is a technique used by some wineries, including Omaka Springs, which adds about ten percent of the grape to enhance complexity, structure and length.
Brancott's large-production regular Sauvignon Blanc ($11) sees no oak at all. Neither does its 2002 Reserve Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc ($15), which comes by its richness from the freshly harvested grapes being left in contact with their skins overnight before fermentation to maximize flavor extraction and provide strength and fullness of flavor. This wine is outrageously pungent with a terrific passion fruit, tropical intensity - it's a steal at this price, and readily available stateside.
Increasingly, these appealing, exciting, pure expressions of Sauvignon Blanc are being bottled under screwcap to keep them that way - alive, untainted, abundant with flavor and a pleasure to drink. (The New Zealand Screwcap Wine Seal Initiative of 2001 got its start among top Marlborough wineries.)
Short term or extended lees contact in stainless steel tanks is a technique favored by many Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc producers, including Cloudy Bay, Framingham, Grove Mill, Drylands and Nobilo, to develop a bit more richness and complexity.
Only a very small number of Marlborough's Sauvignon Blancs see much new oak; one example is the $25 Brancott Estate bottling (marketed as Brancott in the states and as Montana elsewhere), recognizable by the big, bold "B" on its label. For the vintage 2002 bottling, senior winemaker Patrick Materman softened the inherently intense flavors by fermenting 44 percent of the wine in French oak barrels, 12 percent of which were new. The wine remained in contact with its lees for seven months before being blended with the remaining 56 percent stainless steel-fermented wine.
Other examples of oak influenced - but not dominated - Marlborough Sauvignons include Cloudy Bay's limited production "Te Koko" ($31), which is barrel fermented in French oak (10 percent new) and undergoes full secondary malolactic fermentation, and Seresin's "Marama" Sauvignon Blanc ($27), which receives similar treatment (100 cases of the latter were exported to the U.S. market).
The technique of blending oak matured and stainless steel lots is favored by a number of Marlborough producers, including Wairau River, which barrel ferments a selection of the harvest's ripest grapes for its reserve, Isabel Estate. Nelson-based (just to the northwest of Marlborough) Neudorf Vineyards, whose owner/winemaker, Tim Finn, uses only very ripe fruit "to get past those herbal sauvignon blanc flavors," he says, "and take the wine into the tropical spectrum." For his 2002 Sauvignon, the grapes from the alluvial plains of Motueka were cool-fermented to retain the natural fruit intensity. An additional portion was fermented in tight-grained, older French barriques for a more oxidative ferment to enhance fruit complexity and mouth-feel.
The husband-and-wife team of Mike and Claire Allen at Huia Vineyards also employs batch blending. Claire explains, "The 2002 Sauvignon Blanc was harvested from five vineyards across the Wairau Valley, starting with the stony ridge on Rapaura Road at Huia Vineyards, which was hand-picked on April 3, followed by the Black Dog Vineyard the next day, and so on. We finished with machine harvesting the remainder of the Huia Vineyard on April 19th." She notes that the hand-picked portions were fermented in a large Seguin Moreau vat for added richness and flavor, while the machine-harvested portion underwent a long, cool fermentation in stainless steel for vibrancy and crisp acidity.
Brian Bicknell who, along with Gordon Ritchie, makes the wine at Seresin Estate (owned by London-based filmmaker Michael Seresin) from its own vineyards, favors a complex blending regime. "The slightly cooler growing conditions encountered during the 2002 vintage allowed us to pick the sauvignon blanc portion (92 percent) between March 28 and April 18, and the sémillon (8 percent) the next day," Bicknell notes. "All the fruit from the different vineyard blocks and trellis systems was pressed and fermented separately so we had more options when creating the final blend." Both indigenous yeasts and a selection of cultured yeasts were utilized for fermentation, lending added complexity and texture. A portion, seven percent, was fermented in older French barriques to add depth, combined with regular batonnage, which Bicknell says contributes a yeasty creaminess to fill the mid-palate. The major portion fermented in stainless steel underwent extended lees contact.
The Marlborough style of Sauvignon Blanc always exhibits a pleasant, pungent herbaceousness on the nose, but on first whiff, Bicknell's Sauvignons exude a chopped fresh green asparagus-like quality, which represents one style of what might be called three degrees of pungency.
In tasting through dozens of these wines while visiting the region this March - plus dozens more assembled in San Francisco more recently - it became apparent that there are at least three identifiable levels of aromatics, depending on vineyard source and winemaking practices: At entry level is the group that basically might be termed grassy - a combination of straw and freshly cut grass components; next are those reminiscent of freshly chopped green herbs, such as tarragon and thyme; higher up the pungency scale is the third tier that exhibits more amplified vegetal characteristics, including chopped bell pepper, jalapeño chiles (which the Kiwis collectively call capsicum), or chopped fresh asparagus. This "third tier" ranges in aromatic intensity from pleasantly obvious to extreme "gooseberry forward."
Where it was once commonly held that a steely, flinty, crisp Sancerre, with its forward aromatics suggestive of green, almost unripe, fruit ("cat's pee on a gooseberry bush" is an oft-quoted description from one inspired wine writer) set the world standard for Sauvignon, now just as often - maybe more so - Marlborough's intensely flavored and aromatically distinctive attributes of gooseberry, green melon, bell pepper, passion fruit and citrus, married with bright, crisp acidity, are held by many to be the paradigm of Sauvignon Blanc's varietal style.
Ironically, Marlborough's emergence as one of the finest winegrowing regions in the world began by default. In the early 1970s, North Island-based Montana Wine Company was looking to expand its grape growing and winemaking operations. Ideally, as the center of the country's commercial wine production, the Hawkes Bay region on the North Island was its first choice, but even then land there was considered too expensive. That forced Montana (pronounced moan-TAW-nah) to look south. Its first choice, the Canterbury region on South Island's east coast, was deemed uneconomical for grape growing - it was said that its cold climate would yield meager harvests - so Montana's focus shifted to Marlborough, on the northeastern tip of South Island, then a sleepy place best known for its orchards and sheep ranches.
The region's soil types, abundant sunshine, long autumn and crisp, cool winters, together with the relatively inexpensive cost of land, convinced the company that Marlborough was ideal for expansion purposes. In 1973, its vineyard team planted the very first grapevines in Marlborough at the company's Brancott Estate on the southeastern side of the Wairau Valley. Eschewing Müller-Thurgau, a hardy cross of riesling and silvaner that was then the country's workhorse grape, Montana gambled on 56 acres of sauvignon blanc, a noble variety that had only been planted near Auckland a few years before. Cuttings from that fledgling project provided the plant material for the Marlborough undertaking.
Peter Hubscher, Montana's managing director, later wrote, "This represented a huge financial risk - grapes were new to the region [altogether] and the variety unproven in this part of the world." Although interested onlookers greeted the development with skepticism, his decision to go with sauvignon blanc proved to be visionary.
When the first commercial vintage of Montana's Brancott Estate Sauvignon Blanc was released in 1980, its distinctive, clean, crisp, assertive flavors were highly praised by critics and proved successful at local wine competitions. Following suit, the first of the region's cluster of boutique wineries were also established in that formative decade, including, most notably, Cloudy Bay in 1985. All the while, Montana continued to concentrate on style and quality.
In 1990, its efforts were rewarded when it became the first New Zealand winery to win the prestigious Marquis de Goulaine Trophy for "The Best Sauvignon Blanc in the World," at the International Wine and Spirits Competition in London. Today Montana is New Zealand's largest vintner and its Marlborough sauvignon blanc plantings total 4,447 acres (including the 570-acre Brancott Estate, the largest single vineyard in New Zealand), about one-third of the region's acreage of the variety. And in what could be considered the ultimate irony, the current price of Marlborough vineyard land has eclipsed that of Hawkes Bay, as well as New Zealand's other wine regions, with prime sites demanding up to $36,500 (U.S.) an acre for producing land.
Largely because of Montana's pioneering efforts, Sauvignon Blanc was firmly established as New Zealand's flagship wine by the early 1990s. Vibrant fruit intensity and crisp, natural acidity distinguish Kiwi bottlings from most of what is grown elsewhere in the world. Both attributes are a function of the island nation's location, which is about as far removed from Bordeaux and Sancerre as one can get. By comparison, New Zealand's North and South Islands seem like glorified atolls in the vast South Pacific. Situated 1,200 miles from the nearest landmass and blessed by fresh, unpolluted sea breezes and strong prevailing westerlies that scatter cloud cover, the wine grapes grown here enjoy longer hours of intense sunshine than do most elsewhere, but without the accompanying high afternoon temperatures endured in places such as the Napa Valley. The chill, attributed to the proximity of Antarctica, makes ripening a challenge, especially on South Island.
The average temperature in Marlborough is 64 degrees Fahrenheit and daily maximum mean temperatures rarely exceed 80 degrees in the hottest months; day to night temperature fluctuations are pronounced. This puts Marlborough at the lower end of the temperature spectrum for the major grape growing regions of the world - equivalent in European terms to Champagne and Germany's Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region. Those regions, however, are affected by a continental climate, which can be harsh as well as cold, whereas Marlborough benefits from the moderating effects of a maritime climate.
What makes the region particularly remarkable is its ample light and relatively dry summer (which is six months ahead of summer in the northern hemisphere; our June is their December). On average, Marlborough receives an annual total of 2,395 sunshine hours. Lying in the rain shadow of the Southern Alps, the region gets about 34 inches of rainfall annually, most of which falls outside the growing season.
Within Marlborough, the major grapegrowing area is the Wairau Valley with some 13,000 acres under vine. The flood plain of the Wairau River covers a land area of 65 square miles. It is about seven miles wide at its eastern end where it meets the coast at picturesque Cloudy Bay, tapering to only about three miles at its inland extremity, some 16 miles from the ocean.
About ten miles southeast of the Wairau lies the Awatere Valley, a sub-region of Marlborough, and home to a handful of small wineries located along the Awatere River, including Vavasour, Kaikoura and The Crossings. (Another 20 miles farther along on State Highway 1 will bring nature lovers to Ward Beach, the first of many excellent whale-watching spots on South Island's Pacific Coast.)
Geologically, New Zealand is a very young country with most of its rock formations taking shape over the last 300 million years (though the oldest stretch back 600 to 700 million years). The Wairau Valley was formed during a series of glacial periods, the last ending only 14,000 years ago. Successive flooding and re-alignment of the Wairau and other rivers of the valley deposited glacial outwash, forming a level plain with deep, sedimentary soils varying from washed stone to gravel, alluvial silt and clay. These soils have a very good natural nutrient status. Within the deep, alluvial gravels, an extensive aquifer, fed by the winter snow-melt from the higher ranges, provides an invaluable resource of high-quality irrigation water.
Stony river flats of the picturesque Wairau Valley surround Blenheim, Marlborough's main town (the Kiwis pronounce it "BLEN-am"), accounting for its prevalent shallow, stony, free-draining soil profile. Indeed, walking through many of the vineyards, such as those at Nautilus Estate and Framingham just outside the hamlet of Renwick, most of what one sees are vines growing in a bed of cobbles and rocks, and very little dirt. Elsewhere there are variations of alluvial loams over gravelly subsoils.
Yet throughout the Wairau Valley, with its braids of soil of varying fertility, soil types often contrast enormously even within individual vineyards. Those cobbles are mighty important though. Free draining, shingly sites are most prized. "The key benefit of the stones is that they reduce the soil's fertility," says John Belsham, proprietor of Foxes Island Winery.
Contrasting, free-draining soil types, even within individual vineyards, on a uniquely situated green jewel of an island far removed from every place, awash in sunshine and blessed with the perfect climate for the variety, combine to account for Marlborough's winemaking gems, the purest and most exciting expressions of Sauvignon Blanc on the planet.
TASTING BAR
All of the wines were tasted open, variously in Marlborough in March (denoted with an asterisk), and in San Francisco in August. Import figures for wines in extremely short supply are noted when available. A word of caution: I prefer expressive, herbaceous Sauvignons, and my scores tend to reflect that bias. - SP
Brancott Vineyards, 2003 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - $11: Still very young and just beginning to show its stuff, it's now more fruity than herbaceous, displaying lemony citrus and passion fruit with shy straw in both aroma and flavor. Should follow in the footsteps of the 2002 and become ever bolder with time, to offer lemon grass, green pea and just-mown hay aromatics and a lavish, opulent palate that follows suit. A good value. Score: 89
Brancott Vineyards, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc Reserve, Marlborough - $18: Spectacular aromas of freshly chopped asparagus and bell pepper combining to define gooseberry, tropical fruit and nectarine, plus a note of candied ginger. Bold and mouth-filling, this superb Sauvignon is fairly bursting with luscious fruit laced with capsicum and minerals. The finish resonates with crisp, lime-citrus and capsicum. Score: 93
Brancott Vineyards, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Brancott Estate "B," Marlborough - $22: Complex, attractive scents of lightly toasted oak, green olive and chopped Anaheim chiles. Rich, plushly textured and mouth-filling with exciting flavors of ripe passion fruit and lime citrus enhanced by the herbaceousness announced by the nose. Score: 91
*Cairnbrae, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - $16: Subtle grassy scents and flavors with hints of capsicum and white grapefruit on the palate. Round and juicy with crisp acidity and intense flavors that echo the nose. Score: 88
*Cloudy Bay, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - $22: Piercingly aromatic, offering appealing scents of ripe tropical fruit and freshly chopped green herbs layered over a base of fresh lime juice, which are replicated on the generous palate. Supple and rich with zingy acidity and a jalapeño-like kick in the finish. Score: 94
*Cloudy Bay, 2000 Te Koko, Marlborough - $31: Exotic aromas of honeysuckle and ripe mango meld with scents of dried thyme and a curious smoky, almost beefy note. Smooth and fairly oozing glycerol, this limited-production, 100 percent Sauvignon is smooth, creamy and elegant, offering unique flavors of roasted fennel, mango and spice. In a niche of its own among Marlborough Sauvignons; released as a mature wine. Score: 89
Coopers Creek, 2003 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - $12: Crisp and refreshing, reverberating with aromas and flavors of citrus, gooseberry and passion fruit, plus a touch of green herbs in the lively finish. Score 89 (screwcap)
Kim Crawford, 2003 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - $14: Forward nose of freshly chopped jalapeño and passion fruit with a subtle note of fig. Rich yet firmly structured with excellent acidity, offering lush flavors of capsicum and chopped fresh green asparagus. Score: 90 (screwcap)
The Crossings, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Awatere Valley, Marlborough - $16: Restrained, slow-to-open nose of gooseberry and passion fruit that picks up some dusty capsicum reminiscent of freshly chopped serrano chiles. Superbly balanced with crisp acidity and bright, lively flavors emphasizing gooseberry and lemon with a mineral base. A quintessential Marlborough Sauvignon enhanced by nuances attributable to its Awatere Valley source. Score: 93
*Dashwood, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - $13: Chopped green chiles on the nose, along with green pea, lime zest and a touch of white peach. Similar flavors emphasize citrus and gooseberry plus an intriguing minerality; nicely integrated, brisk acidity. Score: 89
*Drylands, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc "Winemakers Reserve," Marlborough - $12: Complex, very fragrant aromas of gooseberry, chopped asparagus, ripe passion fruit and grapefruit. Generous and supple in the mouth with passion fruit, citrus and a wonderful grassiness, buoyed by zingy acidity. A good value. Score: 92
*Forrest Estate, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - $13: Attractive, moderately intense gooseberry and citrus aromas replicated on the palate with rich, deep flavors that persist into the crisp, subtly herbaceous, citrus finish. Score: 89 (screwcap)
*Framingham, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - $14: Come-hither grassy scents enhanced by passion fruit and grapefruit. Nicely concentrated with crisp acidity, offering similar flavors plus a subtle note of crushed thyme. Score: 88 (screwcap)
Glazebrook, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - $14: Slightly pungent aromas of chopped fresh asparagus and passion fruit lead to an intensely flavored palate of gooseberry, citrus, melon and tropical fruit. An exciting wine that finishes crisp and clean with a delightful, herbaceous edge. Score: 92
*Grove Mill, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - $18: Nose of chopped fresh asparagus, mineral, pineapple and lime zest. Rich, round and supple with flavors advertised by the bouquet, plus notes of passion fruit, white peach and citrus. Score: 93
Highfield Estate, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - $18: Classic Marlborough nose of gooseberry and grapefruit accented by quince, pear and anise seed. Intense flavors echo the nose and persist into the extended finish, buoyed by zingy acidity. Score: 91
*Huia, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - $16: Fragrant, very appealing scents of freshly chopped raw asparagus, green jalapeños and subtle tropical fruit. Moderately rich and unctuous on the palate, this superbly crafted wine delivers lively flavors of greengage plum, tropical fruit and mild herbs. A slight departure from the typically lean Marlborough style, but eminently delicious. Score: 91
*Isabel Estate, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - $14: Exuberant nose of gooseberry and creamy citrus (from lees stirring). Just now beginning to flesh out on the palate, showing green, herb-tinged citrus and pear fruit flecked with lime zest. Excellent acid balance. Score: 92
Jackson Estate, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - $15: Enticing scents of tropical fruit, minerals and fresh thyme expanding to chopped raw asparagus. Rich and powerful in the mouth with deep flavors that replicate the nose; complex, expressive and especially delicious in the classic Marlborough style. Score: 91 >
Kaikoura, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - $14: Slow-to-open nose of peach, passion fruit, citrus, topsoil and just-cut hay that soon becomes quite pleasantly herbaceous. Round and silky with crisp acidity and deep flavors that echo the nose. Score: 89 (screwcap)
Lake Chalice, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - $15: Forward, very fragrant nose of chopped fresh Anaheim chiles, citrus and a white peach nuance. A great burst of peach and capsicum flavors is deep and persistent; round, silky-smooth and juicy with vibrant acidity and a crisp, mineral-tinged finish. Score: 92
Lawson's Dry Hills, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - $15: Benchmark Marlborough Sauvignon with forward, exuberant, pungent aromas of classic gooseberry, white grapefruit, lime and a hint of earth. Round, supple and juicy, displaying expressive gooseberry-grapefruit flavors and vibrant acidity. A small portion was barrel fermented and underwent malolactic fermentation. May be too intense for some. Score: 93 (screwcap)
Lynskeys, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Wairau Peaks Vineyard, Marlborough - $18 (900 cases/U.S.): Forward, pungent aromatics of chopped serrano chiles with a slightly dusty edge that are replicated on the palate, joined by fresh lemon-lime citrus, passion fruit and hints of red currant. Moderately rich and silky-smooth with crisp acidity. Score: 90
Matua Valley, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - $11: Fragrant, distinctive nose of creamy asparagus and ripe passion fruit with a slight earthy edge. Citrus and mild bell pepper on the palate; smooth and round with just a hint of residual sugar (0.7%) balanced by adequate acidity. Score: 87
Mount Riley, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - $15: Powerfully aromatic with scents of straw, citrus, white peach and subtle bell pepper. Rich, smooth and juicy, offering layers of zingy citrus, mango and capsicum flavors and a touch of dried herbs in the finish. A nicely stuffed Sauvignon that's delightfully delicious. Score: 90
*Nautilus, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - $17: Shy scents of passion fruit, red currant, just-cut hay and tomato leaf (the Kiwis might say nettle) expand with airing. Smooth, round and luscious on the palate, and essentially fruity offering slightly grassy flavors of green apple, just-sliced pear, white melon and pink grapefruit, plus a pleasant mineral component buoyed by crisp acidity that also adds zing to the finish (tasted again in San Francisco; consistent notes). Score: 92
*Nobilo, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - $10: Scents of gooseberry, green pea and tropical fruit. Fresh, weighty palate showing passion fruit, tangerine, ripe peach and an underlying hint of grassy complexity; bright acidity. Score: 87
*Nobilo, 2002 Icon Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - $13: Classic, intense, mineral-tinged bouquet of green asparagus and just-cut hay with tropical fruit and pink grapefruit back notes. The palate is rich, round and powerful with concentrated varietal characteristics that replicate the nose; great mouth-feel and crisp acidity. Score: 92
Neudorf, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - $18 (850 cases/U.S.): Forward, slightly earthy scents of lime juice, lychee and mineral are replicated on the palate, developing some peachy richness with airing. A restrained wine for Marlborough. Score: 87 (screwcap)
Omaka Springs, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - $17: Pungent, expressive nose of white grapefruit and bell pepper that's almost sweaty. Powerful and rich with vivid acidity; loaded with startling flavors of gooseberry and grapefruit. A classic, take-no-prisoners expression of Marlborough Sauvignon. Score: 91
*Saint Clair, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - $14: Scents of freshly cut grass and a touch of straw mingle with lime juice and mango. Bright and lively on the palate with more vegetal flavors than the nose suggests; almost bell pepper, yet quite pleasant and refreshing with a touch of citrus in the finish. A complex, supple Sauvignon with loads of character. A good value. Score: 91
*Saint Clair, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Wairau Reserve, Marlborough - $20: Scents of white grapefruit tinged with freshly chopped green herbs, this reserve offers generous flavors of bright citrus, kiwi and a mild vegetal component resembling fresh green asparagus. Score: 91
*Selaks, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc Premium Selection, Marlborough - $14: Distinctly varietal nose of chopped fresh Anaheim chiles and a touch of gooseberry mingle with ripe pear and subtle mandarin orange. Similar flavors are bright, generous and buoyed by crisp acidity. Score: 89
Seresin, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - $19: Initial nose of creamy citrus and mineral opens with airing to flaunt freshly chopped asparagus and melon-pear-apple fruit. Round and luscious in the mouth. Enhanced with 8 percent, partially barrel-fermented sémillon, this classy Sauvignon offers deep flavors of chopped fresh asparagus, capsicum, minerals and apple-peach fruit. An elegant, complex wine with a lengthy finish. Score: 92
Thornbury, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - $18: Scents of dried apricot, peach and just-cut hay. Weighty on the palate displaying mineral tones, lime, stone fruit and subtle notes of hay and anise with balancing, crisp acidity; elegant and generous with a viscous mouth-feel. Score: 90
Tohu, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - $15: Freshly cut grass, tropical fruit and citrus scents. Smooth and juicy with lively acidity, this well-behaved Sauvignon displays elegant, grassy citrus flavors in a non-confrontational style. Score: 88
*Twin Islands, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - $12: Grapefruit, dusty chopped serrano chiles and tropical fruit aromas lead to comparatively lean flavors of capsicum, melon and lime. Needs food, like Thai chicken salad. Score: 87
*Vavasour, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - $20: Pleasant, moderately intense grassy-straw nose with hints of mild green chiles. Nicely rich in the mouth with elegant, grassy flavors and bright acidity. Score: 88
Villa Maria, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc Cellar Selection, Marlborough - $19: Forward, very fragrant aromas of capsicum edging toward bell pepper, dusty serrano chiles and passion fruit. Soft and silky with good acidity, offering lush, succulent pear and tropical fruit laced with capsicum. Score: 89 (screwcap)
Villa Maria, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc Private Bin, Marlborough - $13: A bit more restrained than its pricier sibling, yet possessing more complex aromas of anise, mineral, pear and some pleasant straw and grass notes. Round, plush and nicely viscous on the palate with crisp acidity and opulent ripe pear and tropical fruit tinged with a subtle herbaceousness. Score: 89 (screwcap)
Wairau River, 2001 Sauvignon Blanc Reserve, Marlborough - $24: Nose of wet-pebble minerality, shy green herbs, melon-pear fruit and a hint of lightly toasted oak from partial barrel fermentation. Round and rich with good structure and balanced acidity, this reserve veers more toward oak spice and fruitiness than herbaceousness. Score: 87
*Whitehaven, 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - $14: Forward gooseberry scents tinged with dried herbs and wet pebble. Crisp and somewhat tart on the palate with lifted citrus, minerals and noticeable green olive herbaceousness. Score: 86 - SP
Based in San Francisco, Contributing Editor Steve Pitcher is also president of the Bay Area Chapter of the German Wine Society. He can be reached via e-mail at wine2words@aol.com.
