Written by: By MaryAnn Worobiec | Wine Spectator
February 24, 2022
There’s still good reason to associate New Zealand’s wine with the well-known Marlborough district, located on the northern tip of the South Island. It remains far and away the country’s largest wine region, with plenty of style to its wines, and typically offers wider availability than other regions, which is why most New Zealand wine lovers start there.
Even though Sauvignon Blancs are what Marlborough is best known for, its Pinot Noirs are just as easy to recommend. They tend to have a core of tangy red fruit flavors and supple, silky tannins. This texture is on display below in the Pinot from Jules Taylor, which was fermented using native yeasts to add aromatics and complexity. But Marlborough Pinots are also generally lighter and sleeker than the muscular versions of Martinborough or the fleshy cherry–tinged Pinots of Central Otago.
For wine lovers looking for Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, this week’s selection reads like a who’s who of perennial top-scorers in the category. Cloudy Bay, Babich, Astrolabe and Greywacke make consistently terrific wines to look out for, and the 2021 vintage is especially memorable for a couple of reasons: Dramatic crop shortages across New Zealand, 30 percent or more, mean there is less wine to share globally. But the Sauvignon Blancs that were made are intense and vibrant, as you see here.
RANGA.RANGA.
Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2021
Score: 89 | $14
WS review: This white is bursting with fresh ginger flavors and vibrant Key lime and pomelo notes on a mouthwatering frame. Drink now. 20,000 cases made, 16,500 cases imported.—M.W.
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