A few months ago I reviewed (although have not posted) the 2016 Matua - Sauvignon Blanc which I enjoyed tremendously. Today I am back to review another Matua Sauvignon Blanc only this time it is the 2019 Matua - Sauvignon Blanc. I guess you could say I was so impressed with the 2016 vintage that I could not resist this one. I purchased this wine for $14.99 at my local Supermarket however it was on sale as a buy one, get one which made its final cost, in reality, $7.50. Let's go on ahead now and get into this wine and see what it is all about.
To begin with, the Matua Winery (
https://www.matua.co.nz/) was founded in the early 1970s by Brothers Bill and Ross Spence. The winery claims to be the first winery in New Zealand to have produced the Sauvignon Blanc varietal way back in 1974. Although Matua doesn't appear to actually own any vineyards, they do source their grapes from New Zealand’s most renowned wine regions such as Hawke’s Bay, Marlborough, and Central Otago. Aside from the Sauvignon Blanc varietal, the winery also produces the varietals of Syrah, Merlot, Malbec, Albariño, Sauvignon Blanc, as well as Chardonnay & Pinot Noir Rose which I have just recently reviewed. The winery was bought out in 2001 and is now owned by Beringer-Blass Wine Estates (
https://www.beringerblass.com.au/) which also owns the Stags Leap Vineyards & Winery as well as the St. Clement Vineyards both located in the Napa Valley. Rounding off this paragraph, this wine has a Screw Cap closure and comes in at 13% Alcohol.
Let's now take a look at the label at this wine bottle and see if it helps in selling the wine or not. This label is identical to the 2016 Matua - Sauvignon Blanc as well as the 2017 Matua Pinot Noir Rose. As I said in the reviews of the Rose, I like the label better on the Sauvignon Blanc varietal as I think the color of the wine better shows it off and is, therefore, more appropriate. In general, I absolutely just love the blue color of the main label as well as the Fonts used for the wording. I also liked where the wording on the label is placed. The label is also rather interesting in that it acts as a "Chill Check" according to the winery. In reference to this "Chill Check", they say "Once the wine is chilled to perfection, a small snowflake will appear in the bottom right-hand corner." I tried it and it does work.
Now I am going to take a look at the wine itself while holding it over a
white background and see what I can tell you about it. The wine is a
nice light in color gold and it looks very appealing. The "Lip" of the wine where it would pour is pretty wide and also a bit darker than the body of the wine. The wine has a wonderful clarity to it as well. As I
look at the wine sitting in the glass on the table with the white background removed, it still holds that lightish gold appearance in the
Body as well as the darker "lip". The wine also maintains its pleasingness to the eye. As far as "Legs" go, they are few and far
between. The few "Legs" which are present, however, drip rather slowly down the sides of my glass. What I am mostly seeing is that for the most part, the wine seems to coat the glass with a slight viscosity.
Now, as far as the Bouquet goes, I feel forced to tell you that it is rather forward and super nice. Yeah, guys, for sure the wine presents itself on the Nose as a very in your face wine. Super big time Gooseberry is completely rushing forward and might even cause you to sit back in your chair for a few seconds. Just after this Note is a big Note of grass as well as a bit of Kiwi as well. Wow, guys, the Nose is rocking right now and I am in Heaven. On the backend of the Nose, I am getting some ripe melon and it is well placed here as it gives off the unspoken promise that the wine might perhaps exhibit a bit of sweetness to it. I have to tell you that I am dying to get to the Palate of this wine to see how or if this Nose translates over.
Sure enough, folks, right away I have to begin here by letting you know that the big time Gooseberry Note that I got on the Nose translates right on over to the Palate. I have to repeat myself by telling you that again that you will just sit right back in your chair and say. wow! Following this Note up is a good bit of Grapefruit & a tad bit of Lemon to go with it. These Notes when combined together let you know (or should) that this is a Sauvignon Blanc from the New Zealand, Marlborough Region. A strong Note of Quince is everpresent on the Palate and is in your face as well. The bright acidity that is expressed by this wine is just amazing and the Palate just explodes with it. As the tasting goes on the flavor as well as the power of this wine does not dissipate, both insist on staying through to the Finish and what seems like slightly beyond as well. Guys, how about some Passion Fruit? If you want that Note in a Sauvignon Blanc you have certainly got it as this wine is exploding with this it. My Palate right now is just being attacked by everything this wine is offering up and there doesn't seem to be any letting up. As with any Marlborough expression of the varietal, this wine has a good bit of Tropicalnees to it but just not in a sweet way. There is a hint of sweetness that seems to be sort of in a hidden layer of the wine but I don't want you getting scared as this is not a sweet wine by any means. In my humble opinion, that bit of sweetness causes the wine to sort of take a slight turn and mellow just a bit. Let me talk for a second about Green Melon. This Note is there but it is more of a Note that you sort of feel.
Now, don't misunderstand me, you do taste it but it is more of an underlying yet certainly effective Note then anything else. The melon does indeed make an impact on the wine as it creates another sort of slight "break" from the direction it was currently going in. These deviations while not major ones, are good enough to have me (or you) cheering for them. All of these Notes culminate into a vibrancy that just rocks the Palate without question. The wine simply energizes the Palate and does not let it rest. Guys, I think I have said enough, the wine simply rocks. It is time to complete this review and that means moving to my conclusion. With that being said, let's do just that.
Here is a wine that some might not care for as it is very in your face and certainly not subtle on its presentation. If you enjoy a more....." watered down" expression of the varietal then this is not your wine as the wine is in your face, vibrant and full of expressive acidity. I promise you guys, allow the wine to swirl around your mouth and you will see that it will simply burst with that unique classic Marlborough flavor. The wine possesses a crispness and refreshingness that makes it a PERFECT Spring/Summertime/Pool wine. Now I want to talk for just a second about something that in my mind might sort of ....cheapen the wine. The wine is available in a large 1.5 L Cardboard container as well. For the life of me, I can't understand this at all. Why would such a great wine who has everyone raving about it, cheapen its label?
Whatever the reason I have to admit that if the wine in this container holds to its bottle presentation, it might just be worth it. What is my rating on the wine? Well, folks, on The desert Wine Guy rating scale I am giving this wine a solid 93 points. Please do remember what I said though, this wine is NOT for everyone as it has some astringency to it, and can be perceived as being overdone in the acidity category. For those who do want the Marlborough expression of the varietal I say, buy a few bottles of the wine and enjoy them.
The Desert Wine Guy
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