Last year over half of all the ‘savvies’ – the UK’s most valuable grape variety by far (and a parent, along with Cabernet Franc, of Cabernet Sauvignon) – drunk here came from New Zealand. With its long, hot sunny days and cool nights, Marlborough, the country’s dominant region (its SB accounts for over two-thirds of the entire vineyard area) delivers tantalisingly crisp, boisterously aromatic, zesty and citrusy-fresh SB, a variety that’s notoriously misplanted. Much of Spain, like southern Italy and elsewhere, is way too hot for early/mid-ripening SB, which is mainly unoaked.
So just in case you also have a passion for the Kiwi stuff – unlike many wine snobs, who like to hate it – then you can refresh your palate and put your mind at rest with three of the best from the 2021 vintage. Here are the season’s must-buy bone-dry bottles from the grape’s heartland on the northeastern tip of the South Island. Oh, and for the record, I happen to adore SB’s saporous pizzazz, especially in midsummer with a dish of Thai green curry…
1. Vegan-friendly savvy from the stony, silty plains of the broad, flat Wairau Valley, Marlborough’s largest sub-region
Mount Impey Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2021 (£12, Tesco; 13%, 25% off 6+ bottles for Clubcard holders until July 4th)
Try and drink only one glass of this spot-on drink-now Sauvignon Blanc on a midsummer’s day – you’ll surely find it testing to resist helping yourself to a second! It has bright thiol-derived aromatics, all nettles, bell pepper, citrus, passionfruit, blackcurrant and mandarin. A luminous ripper and bargain of a savvy by the Holdaway family of Lowlands Wines. Mt Impey (1448m) is the highest point of a 2000ha biodiversity reserve established by the Holdaways on land they own in Marlborough’s Upper Wairau Valley. Try it with tomato salads, sea bass roasted with vine tomatoes, fish and chips, Fattoush or Panzanella. Vegan approved. Fill your Tesco trolley now as it’s 25% off 6+ bottles through to July 4th for Clubcard holders.
Further down the aisle, Tesco’s Wairau Cove Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2021 (£7.50) is a bosky, lighter-bodied, more everyday quaffer. A steal on this week’s 25% wine discount for Clubcard holders when purchasing six or more bottles.
2. Classy full-bodied offering from Marlborough’s somewhat drier, windier and cooler Awatere valley
Villa Maria Reserve Clifford Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2021 (£14.99-£15, Waitrose, Waitrose Cellar, Cadman; 14%)
Here’s a zingy, pungent, full-bodied, savvy from premium vineyards in Marlborough’s coolest, driest and windiest subregion of the southeastern Awatere Valley sub-region. Think jalapeño, snow peas, herbs, kaffir lime, peas and lemongrass, with a hint of tomato stalk. It has its cake and eats it too, with both fruit flavours and texture augmented. Complex yet refreshing. Pour with freshly shucked oysters (hello Sankey’s The Old Fishmarket on The Pantiles), a broad bean, feta and mint salad or pork and mango noodles. Skilfully crafted, polished, bone dry and bursting with life. A winner.
3. Ever-classy, reliably good, quintessential Marlborough savvy that drinks well, sits well, and ages well…
Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2021 (£22-£24.95, Ocado, Laithwaites, Sainsbury’s, Fortnum & Mason; 13.5%)
Cloudy Bay is one of New Zealand’s most iconic premium wine estates and its savvy put the country on the map with its enthralling flavours. The first vintage of its world-famous, vibrant Sauvignon Blanc was in 1985 (the country’s first one was in 1979). Though around £25, this is a class act and a gorgeous wine from a small but perfectly formed vintage, with restrained lemongrass, kumquat, grapefruit, passionfruit, lime, nectarine and white peach aromatics, which reverberate over a fully packed palate. Sophisticated, delicious, quality – admittedly not a giveaway. Should be alive and kicking, if cellared well, in 15-20 years. Buy it if you can find it. Scores highly with sashimi, a seafood platter and green salads.
Follow James on Twitter @QuixoticWine
