At the time of the writing of this article it is of course Winter. That however has never stopped The Desert Wine Guy from enjoying whatever wine varietal I feel like enjoying. By the way, I am hereby giving you permission to follow suit :) So what are you tasting today Mr. desert Wine Guy? Excellent question there dear readers. Today I will be tasting the 2017 Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc (
http://www.whitehaven.co.nz/default.aspx). Today my best friend (Mrs. Desert Wine Girl) and I were out at Costco
today doing some shopping and I made my usual visit to the wine section
because they always have the nicest and sometimes coolest and rarely available wines and at the nicest prices. When I
got to the wine section I was very surprised how few wines of the
Sauvignon Blanc varietal were available to choose from. After doing some searching I thought that I
had decided on one of the three different Sauvignon Blancs they had on
display but for some reason this particular one caught my eye, I guess
you could say that the 2017 Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc sort of reached out to me and well, the rest is history.
Let me to now get to some of the specifics for this wine. This wine comes in at 13% as far as Alcohol percentage which is fairy normal for the varietal and comes from the Marlborough region of New Zealand, it is also sealed with a Screw cap. The wine was completely created in Stainless Steel and without a touch of Oak, it is distributed in America by Ernest & Julio Gallow. The wine sells for $12.99
Let's now move to what I personally consider to be a pretty big part of any wine and one that gets very little if any attention by wine reviewers and that is the label. Many people might ask me why would someone who is supposed to be tasting and reviewing a Liquid worry about the outside container? That is a question that until recently I could understand being asked. I would find myself wondering aimlessly up and down the wine isle in the store trying to choose a wine. Aside from going into the store with a particular varietal in mind, what I unknowingly was doing was looking for a wine that took itself seriously. Let me ask you this, what is the very first thing that attracts you to a bottle of wine? Yes, the label. Go ahead and look at the picture of the wine above and see for yourself that the label exudes sophistication and classic style. Check out the Font used for the letters as well as the different colors used. Three different and striking colors that go incredibly well together. This is what caused me to put the other wine down that I had in my hand and purchase this one.
Lets see now how this white wine presents itself in my glass. Beginning with the outside of the glass I can tell you that the wine comes across a pale yet failrly presentable Gold. looking at the wine the technically correct way with a piece of white paper under the glass (white background) the wines edges were an even deeper Gold and formed a ring around the inside of the part of the glass over the paper. The wine elsewhere was almost clear with perhaps a very pale straw color which was only slightly visible.
Moving now to this wines Bouquet I noticed the note of super massively clean, crisp & fruity (not sugary) gooseberry that made the wines nose stand out and me certainly stand up and take notice that this wine, at least so far, did indeed take itself very seriously. The wine immediately made it known that it was not a California expression of the varietal. A Grapefruit note comes in around the back end of the Bouquet yet certainly gets it's point across. Orange Blossom & Pear notes while certainly not exploding on the nose certainly presenting themselves for
your approval (Twilight Zone anyone ). So far this wine is earning my respect all around but the really hard
part is yet to come and that is will the wine impress me on the Palate. The wine also displayed for me on the Nose a certain sense of belief that is is certainly crisp and clean with nice
Acidity.
So far so good but what am I getting off of this wine in the mouth? Let's not waste any time and get to the wines Palate presentation. After taking just two decent size sips of this wine I will very simply say, WOW, absolute WOW! Let me continue by letting you know that the Gooseberry note that is so prominent and so lovely on the nose transfers right over to the Palate.......I'll say, superbly. Since this is not a California expression of the varietal there are no sweet, sugary fruity notes that come lunging out at you. Now, don't get me wrong because I do love the California expression of the varietal as much as the Marlborough expression but they are different in their presentation of the very same grape. I do also keep in mind that aside from me there are lots of people that love one and not the other. I think that anyone who is familiar with the differences would understand and agree as well. If however, you prefer the California expression then send your (unopened) bottle of this wine to me because this is an outstandingly superb wine folks. Moving on now, there is slightly more then a touch of Meyer Lemon here yet it is
presented without the sharp "tang" that might cause you to step back and give it time to mellow or maybe even cause a dislike of the wine. Now, don't get me wrong, as there is a "tang" yet it is without that harshness or sharpness and is not overpowering nor is it anything that would offend the Palate yet it certainly does without a doubt makes its impact on the Palate. These notes blend seamlessly and lead us to out next note which is of fresh cut grass on the Palate and it and the other notes mentioned are simply freely flowing across it. From the beginning of the wine in the mouth to the end, this wine shines with the note of this fresh cut grass. My senses right now are just being lite up with the freshness and brightness of an amazing Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. There is an amazing straw note here as well that blends right in with the other fresh notes that I am tasting. This is a dry wine readers and I think the wine would be falling short in its presentation if it weren't. Hold on folks because the wine is not done and neither am I as there are Fruit Tannins that just scream across the Palate folks and are so very apparent throughout the wines entire presentation. Now, here is where the wine changes things up a bit. There is a bit of a Tropical note here in this wine yet it is not the Tropical
note that you might expect if you are partial to the hotter climate
grown expression of the grape. This particular Tropical note is like a higher level fruit but is
missing a good amount of the sugary, overly fruity aspect that the hotter weather expression
usually brings out of the grape. Surprisingly and I believe this is also where the slight more sugary portion of the wine comes
from is a Honey Suckle note present that is without a doubt also needed. I did
say, without a doubt right? Without this note as well, the wine would be missing a certain something that is needed to help to complete it. Continuing with the slight tropicalness of the wine is a note that while hidden for the most part but once again leaves its Mark is a note of Pineapple that you have to really sit back and take the time to find at first but once you do it never leaves your Taste Buds. Once again, this note is not anywhere near being an overly sugary or forward note. The Pineapple injects its flavor into the wine but leaves an overwhelming amount of its sugar at home. Continuing with this line of fruit are the fruitiness of Apricot & Nectarine that once again only bring part of their normal Sugar with
them yet bring most definitely all of their taste. Together all these NORMALLY sugary and sweeter fruit forward types fruits create an
absolute impact on the Palate yet without the sugar. Oh but were not done yet. There is some super nice bursting crisp zesty acidity that is presented seemingly with pride by
this wine and you will be forced to sit back in your chair and take notice as it
rather demands it. The wine is presenting the zesty acidity as if it is so comfortable in doing it. Here is another, absolute WOW moment.
Well guys, I have to end this review as it is late and I have saved a glass for Dinner which is Crab Stuffed Salmon that I also bought at Costco today. With that being said, let's get to my final thoughts on the wine as well as my rating of this nice wine. First however I feel it necessary to break down what I mean by the term "tropical notes" so I'll go ahead and do that now.
If I could explain the meaning of the term "tropicalness" in general I would use the comparison of Sugar brilliance, Apple, Melon, ripe
Peach. These notes are usually reserved for a California expression of the Sauvignon Blanc as opposed to Lemongrass, Lime, Grapefruit
which is usually reserved for the Marlborough, New Zealand expression of the varietal. These notes are generally what you can
expect from each expression of the same grape.
So here we are at the closing of this review. Folks, Super crispness throughout the entire tasting of the wine as well as on the finish is just one of the notes that this wine wants to express to you. This is without a doubt the best Marlborough expression of this varietal that I have ever tasted, plain and simple. The wine is so super fresh, the wine is juicy, obviously young, grassy and is the new standard for the New Zealand expression of the Sauvignon Blanc varietal. On The Desert Wine Guy rating scale I am proudly, excitedly giving this wine 94 points. Let's talk for a minute about I recommend you eat with this wine for Lunch or Dinner. I am thinking Shrimp, Lobster, Crab and a serious Salmon perhaps stuffed with that Crab such as like I previously said I will be having tonight. Ill throw in peppery Chicken into the mix. Either way you go will put you into absolute Heaven. For those of you who are into this sort of thing, here
(
http://www.whitehaven.co.nz/UserFiles/Pdfs/tastingnote-210.pdf) is the
Tech Sheet for the wine.
P.S. - This brings me to a challenge of sorts. Chill the wine in your Freezer for two hours. Break out the wine and your favorite White wine glass. Yes folks, the good Crystal glass that you save for the "good" White Wine". Go to where ever you are going to relax and open the bottle. Pour a half a glass and take a small sip. I always taste in small sips by the way. With the wine in your mouth, sit back and gently (this isn't a Mouthwash) circulate the wine throughout your Palate. Allow the wine to sit in your mouth, in every part of your mouth, are you tasting that? DO you see what I mean about everything that I have written in my review? This is an Intense wine Ladies &Gentleman. A wine that isn't too proud to be sold to us, the Common Folk at a place where we shop. I give tremendous respect to the Winemakers
Sam Smail and Diana Katardzhieva. Enjoy the wine folks.
The Desert Wine Guy
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