40+ Years of Sauvignon Blanc in New Zealand

Canada has a love affair with New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, with 80% of the wine we import from NZ coming from Sauvignon Blanc. 

New Zealand wine makers have made a style, which is pungent, aromatic, and has aromas and flavours that can cover bell pepper, gooseberry, asparagus, cut grass, tropical fruit, grapefruit and limes, and more!  In addition they have experimented to different degrees with oak aging as well as extended lees contact.  A country that is continuing to innovate and make exciting and elegant wines for us to enjoy.  Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc is the latest innovation to come out of New Zealand.

I had a chance to attend a Masterclass on New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc to find out more about different regions and how the Sauvignon Blanc grape expresses itself.  To speak about the flight of wines we had 3 Kiwi wine makers:

We tasted wines from:

In the spirit in innovation, we also tried some wines from “Wild Bunch” producers in Marlborough, Waipara Valley and Hawke’s Bay, that are trying new ways to produce wines from this grape.

To kick off the Masterclass, we tried the Villa Maria Lightly Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc 2015.  This wine is made with the Charmat method, as is done with Prosecco, in order to keep the wine fruit fresh.  With Charmat the 2^nd fermentation happens in large stainless steel tanks and the wines are then put into bottle.  With the Champagne method the 2^nd fermentation happens in the wine bottle and while it makes a richer mouth feel from the lees in the bottle, it can reduce the freshness of the fruit.  This wine had lots of fresh ripe green fruit, gooseberry and jalapeno pepper aromas.  It was off-dry, with a light bubble and a salty minerality.  It was very tart with citrus, green fruit and lime flavours.  Very fresh and elegant.  Rating:

For Nelson & Martinborough we tried the Te Mania Nelson Sauvignon Blanc 2015 and the Palliser Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2015. Nelson is one of the country’s sunniest regions, and with its sheltered aspect, it has milder temperatures than anywhere else in the South Island.  It also has the highest seasonal rainfall.  Together the overall temperate climate delivers very fruit driven wines.   Martinborough is in the direst and coolest area of the North Island.  It is protected from rain by the mountain ranges to the east and west, but this causes the winds to funnel through the area.  The windiness of the area has pluses and minuses.  On the plus side the wind helps to reduce diseases on the vineyards, while on the minus side the winds can cause problems in getting consistency between vintages.  The wines from Martinborough are bright with a mix of herbal and tropical characteristics, together with minerality.

The Te Mania Nelson Sauvignon Blanc 2015 (Nelson) had a light intensity nose with aromas of pea pod, green fruit, and green apples. Medium body, and medium acidity, together with some roundness and saltiness.  Green pea and jalapeno on the palate, and citrus in the background to support.  A certified organic wine. Rating:

The Palliser Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2015 (Martinborough) spent 3 months on lees with battonage (stirring) to give the wine more mouth feel and complexity.  It had a nice honey, gooseberries, flintiness and passion fruit aromas.  Medium body and acidity.  Dry with a bit a roundness.  You can feel some of the creaminess from the lees, and taste tropical fruit, gooseberries, green fruit and honey.  Some chalky minerality in the background.  Long length with a crisp finish. Rating:

On to Marlborough we had 8 Sauvignon Blancs to taste.  To keep this article short, I will just cover a couple of the wines. Marlborough is protected by a mountain range to the west to protect the region from rain and wind, plus it is moderated by sea-breezes along the coast. The region has stony soils from past braided river meanderings.   Marlborough is well-known for aromatic, crisp Sauvignon Blanc with pungent intensity.

te Pa Sauvignon Blanc 2015 was very aromatic with green herbal tones and grapefruit.  Dry with medium plus acidity and body.  Very citrusy on the palate together with grapefruit rind, green apples, and hints of honey and flowers in the background.  Peppery finish.  Rating: . 

Rapaura Springs Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2015 has aromas of guava, green fruit and jalapeno peppers.   Medium body and medium acidity, but still fairly round mouth feel.  Light intensity flavours of jalapeno, guava and tropical fruit.  Finishes with green fruit and pepperiness.  Rating: . 

Whitehaven ‘Greg’ Sauvignon Blanc 2015 is a single vineyard wine that has 5% of the wine oak aged.   It is named after “Greg” who was the husband of Sue White.  Greg passed away just a few years after getting the Whitehaven winery underway.  The wine is very aromatic with lots of green peas and jalapeno peppers.  Dry, medium body with some roundness and minerality.  More green peas and jalpeno pepper, together with hints of tropical fruit and honey in the background.  Green herbal finish with some pepperiness.  Elegant.  Rating: .

The Wild Bunch as mentioned are trying new ways to ferment and present New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.  Oak influence in fermentation and/or maturation is more common in this group, along with extended lees contact and battonage.  In addition there are experiments in employing wild ferments. We tried “Wild Bunch” wines from Marlborough as well as Waipara Valley & Hawke’s Bay.  Two wines I enjoyed are from Stoneleigh and Pegasus Bay.

Stoneleigh Wild Valley Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2015 was fermented at room temperature using indigenous yeasts.  10% of the wine was fermented in old oak as well.  Nectarine, honey, and a hint of herb on the nose.  Dry, medium acidity with citrus and in particular grapefruit rind on the palate.  Light acidic prickle on the tongue.  Peach and/or apricot toward the finish.  An interesting wine to enjoy. Rating: