WF Archives, September 2005: New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs

By the time this article is released, the summer is beginning to wind down. It’s hard for me to imagine that concept, as we are in the midst of 95F temperature days at the time of this writing. The days of suffocating summer heat naturally made me gravitate my wine selections towards white wines, leading to my latest wine discovery: New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs. Dry by nature, Sauvignon Blanc wines represent medium-bodied white wine component of the six major varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Riesling are the others.) Aside from New Zealand, Sauvignon Blanc grapes are notably grown in France (“White Bordeaux”), California, Chile, Argentina and South Africa.

The regional differences produce wide range of styles Sauvignon Blanc of wines. Of those styles, I especially enjoy New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs for their complexity and structure. Stylistically, they stand out for their vibrant, herbaceous, and tropical fruit flavors that shine on the palate. The structure of the wine is defined by their tangy acidity that allows complex flavor layers to stand out from the first sip to the finish.

A wine that embodies the best of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc ($24.) Cloudy Bay features the signature flavor of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc: a complex blend of gooseberry, cilantro, straw, green tomato, and green peppers. This core flavor reminds me somewhat of the aftertaste one gets from eating salsa. Others have noted the signature New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc flavor contain, to use the technical term, the elements of ‘cat pee,’ a flavor that I fortunately have no experience tasting to either confirm or deny. The vegetal and herbal flavor components are balanced by fruity hints of melon, passion fruit, and black peppers on the finish. Cloudy Bay may not be easy to find due to their enormous popularity, but they are certainly worth your effort. It bears mentioning that they may be allocated, where purchase limit per customer may apply.

If Cloudy Bay is unavailable, a fine alternative is Koura Bay Sauvignon Blanc ($18), which has slightly more body and come across as being slightly less dry. Mt. Difficulty Sauvignon Blanc ($14) is lighter than Cloudy Bay, and Huia Sauvignon Blanc ($19) is the lightest and most off-dry of the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc wines that I have tried. All those wines feature that signature core flavor, which I find to be very food- friendly. The herbal notes are fine complement to soft cheeses, pasta salad, tomato sauce based cuisines, vinaigrette dressings, grilled vegetables, fish, poultry, and pork. Cloudy Bay and Koura Bay can also pair with slightly richer fare than Mt. Difficulty and Huia, owing to their richer body.

There are Sauvignon Blanc wines from New Zealand with a different flavor profile than those four bottles. Selak’s Sauvignon Blanc ($14) from Marlborough region is one such example. Instead of the herbal and vegetal notes, it has nose of grapefruit and dried grass, fruity palate of kiwi, and a very clean and dry finish. On the other end of the spectrum, Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc ($10) is very distinct for its smoky white and black pepper flavors that complement rich flavors of tropical fruit. The strong pepper influences make Villa Maria ideal wine to pair with well- seasoned fish, poultry, pork, and beef, and examples of such food include bouillabaisse, salmon, barbecued chicken, Cajun sausage, vitello tonnato, and beef teriyaki.

I consider New Zealand to be one of the world’s premier wine producing regions that have yet to gain the full recognition. For those already thinking about autumn, I invite you to try their well-crafted Pinot Noirs. As the season of Sauvignon Blanc draws to an end, I trust that you will file this article away in your Winged Foot Magazine archives for future references.