Today was a busy day in the Vineyard as I had some Pruning to do on the first year Tempranillo vines as well as a lot of general cleanup. After that it was time for a trip to Sam's Club to purchase some Cotton Candy Grapes (yum) and now it is time for a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc which will (hopefully) be enjoyed while sitting out back by the the Pool. So, what wine am I reviewing today? Well guys, today the wine that I am reviewing is the 2017 Tuatea Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand but first, I have a confession to make folks. I have found ny last few wines from the Marlborough region of New Zealand to be rather disappointing. I hope this wine can break that pattern and meet the expectations I have for what is supposed to be the best region in the world for Sauvignon Blanc. So here we go, let's get into this review and see what's up.
Let's begin with th fact that this wine cost me a mere $5.99 at my local Trader Joe's and the alcohol percentage comes in at 12.6%. The wine is straight 100% Sauvignon Blanc and is not blended with any other varietal. Now I know that you may be asking yourself (or me), what can he be expecting for that price? Let me tell you something, keeping it real here as always with you guys, I am honestly sort of up in the air as far as what to expect from this inexpensive wine but, in the past I have received a lot from certain wines bought at this price point and hopefully this wine will be one of those wines, we will see.
As for the Bouquet I am picking up notes of Honey Dew, nothing overpowering on one hand but yet not exactly shy on the other. Let's just say that this note was rather pleasing. A Note of Guava which was similar in strength to the Honey Dew appears and it is very welcoming. Last but not least is a Note of ripe Nectarine that helps add to the overall tropicalness of the Bouquet. Overall the wine exposes a rather simple yet tropically appealing Bouquet and one that is lively and is truly begging to be enjoyed at the Pool.
Onto the Palette we go now and here is where the wine expresses it's further attributes nicely. Upon first sipping the wine you will notice an initial note of Lemon Zest that jumps right out at you and while not screaming, it is here and definitely speaking loudly. Subduing this Lemony Zest note just a bit is that note of Honey Dew that was on the nose. Both notes here are about at the same level of presentation and are welcomed by a strong bit of zippy Acidity that begins at mid-palette and simply doesn't end. If you guys are lovers of Lemongrass, you are in luck because as expected, that Note is really present here probably due to where the grapes are grown. The Lemongrass is very effective in the overall Palate presentation of the wine and helps in keeping the wine so lively and spirited. Up front and fruity as well as slightly vibrant, this lemongrass certainly does let you now it is there and it is actually instrumental in steering the direction of the wine. All you lovers of an in your face Sauvignon Blanc, you are in luck because this is not a wine that I would is in any way soft.
This is also an expression of the varietal that knows what crushed stone is and it is more than happy to offer it up freely here on the Palate. As I get further into tasting this wine I have to tell you that brightness & Palate clarity are Notes that this wine also offers up. So far, this $6 wine is really impressing the heck out of me people, I just hope it continues. There is one weird thing that I noticed that the wine exhibits and that is on my Tongue there was a slight fizz that I don't think came from Carbonation as there was none visible but it was almost that type of tingle that I picked up. The good thing was that this feeling actually helped in keeping the Palate lively and continuing on without any down time. Now, I know that I mentioned that the Bouquet of this wine was tropical however the wine itself is a bit restrained in that aspect so if you are expecting a really tropical Sauvignon Blanc you might be a little disappointed. To me, the Sauvignon Blanc varietal is so versatile that it can be good in so many different expressions including this one, it is not locked into being super dry or super tropical. Another thing this wine also brings to the table is a bit of sweetness and this bit of sweetness is just right as it is not overdone and does not take anything away from the rest of the wine. Folks, in case you haven't picked up on it yet, this is a very concentrated white wine, perhaps a hair bit too much actually as I found myself having very slight issues with the acidity on the Finish. Aside from that, this wine is a super tight structured wine for sure and in describing it overall I would certainly have to describe it as a Sauvignon Blanc that exposes a massive greenness to it. If you have ever heard the term "green" used to describe a white wine but never actually experienced it, then you absolutely must try this wine because it is the epitome of the phrase. I actually couldn't think of a term to describe this wine any better.
The Desert Wine Guy
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