Wine Spectator
July 28, 2022
Tasting Highlights’ wine reviews are fresh out of the tasting room, offering a sneak peek of our editors’ most recent scores and notes to WineSpectator.com members.
The signature white grape of New Zealand is, of course, Sauvignon Blanc, used to make distinctive, intense and aromatic wines that overdeliver at their modest price tags. But Sauvignon Blanc isn’t the only wine made in New Zealand. This week’s selection celebrates an array of aromatic white and sparkling wines made from several grapes in this comparatively small wine-producing country.
Not surprisingly, New Zealand’s white wines range from the juicy and dry to the full-bodied and even slightly sweet. But, across the category, most Kiwi winemakers take advantage of the acidity that comes naturally from a cool climate and intense sunlight. Astrolabe winemaker Simon Waghorn makes terrific bottlings from Chenin Blanc. He partially barrel-ferments his wine with wild yeast, fermenting the remainder in stainless steel, to make versatile whites that can age gracefully. Waghorn also makes Pinot Gris with a mix of hand-picked grapes that are whole-cluster pressed and then fermented on their solids. Some of these grapes are machine harvested at night to enhance fresh fruit flavors.
Pinot Gris whites are actually quite fashionable in New Zealand for their food friendliness—most versions are fuller than Sauvignon Blancs, with less sharpness to their acidity, while still being fresh with floral tones. Palliser offers another terrific example, using a mix of grapes from two vineyards. After harvest, the grapes and juice have a few hours of skin contact before being gently pressed; a portion of the wine is fermented in neutral French oak barrels before blending and bottling.
Finally, I wish there were more examples of Kiwi sparkling wine available in the U.S. Many I’ve tasted—like No. 1 Family Estate’s Brut—are serious, distinctive wines made using the traditional method, and they can show tremendous value.
THREE BROOMS
Riesling Marlborough Single Vineyard 2018
Score: 92 | $15
WS review: Intense, distinct and fragrant, with an appealing whiff of lanolin up front, giving way to a laser beam of fresh, vibrant acidity, highlighting makrut lime leaf, lemon curd and ripe pear flavors. Ends with a touch of dried apricot flavors on the mouthwatering finish. Drink now. 3,000 cases made, 3,000 cases imported.—M.W.
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