Brancott Estate, Letter Series B Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough

a good example of ripe style Marlborough SB, passion fruits, a little sweet core, round and smooth texture. comfortable long finish. Ap 5/5, Ar 13/15, Palate 17/20, Overall 4+1/10 Total 90/100

Nearly transparent, clear with yellow and green hue. Passion fruits, a little pineapple and asparagus, bright acidity, moderate and mature style as a Marlborough SB. Finer structure with very good balance. Running well with spicy Mexican foods. Ap 5/5, Ar 13/15, Palate 17/20, Overall 4+2/10 Total 91/100

Concentrated, passion fruits, green capsicum, round texture, an iconic Marlborough SB. Ap 5/5, Ar 13/15, Palaye 17/20, overall 4+1/10 Total 90/100

A clumsy wine. Missing acid and varietal character. Not unpleasant, has weight, ripe fruit, peach fuzz herbal tones, easy to quaff given sweet fruit melodies. On a beach picnic, ice cubes and seltzer and plastic cups would stretch this out nicely. Poor qpr.

Fished out of the local grocery store's "bargain bin." Not really certain why it was there; usually it contains wines that are near the end of their drinking window. This has plenty of life left in it. In many ways, this is a pretty typical mid-range New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Medium color, faint nose. Lots of fruit on the palate. Crisp, rounded, well-balanced, with some depth. Good acidity. Clean finish. Seems to have a touch of sweetness. Very nice for …

I don't taste this wine regularly, but what I remember from previous vintages (2014, 2015) is mainly serious reduction issues - the stinky sulphide actually rendering the wine undrinkable. There certainly is reduction in this 2019 too, but it is not unpleasant, and it does not block the basic varietal and terroir expression. It's smooth and supple, fresh and pleasantly tropical, with attractive vegetal hints, elegant weight and good length. It's very Marlborough. But the reduction remains a concern.

brief London tasting note... Good Marlb Sav Blanc but nothing special, Med+ body, some classy fruit handling here, a nice roundness, no green grassy edges, some length to the end but no genuine concentration, ends med-dry. Better than a simple grassy Brancott Savvy. Rec RP £ 14.00.....probably worth that, just.

New Zealand London Annual Trade Tasting (London) : The wine shows more body than nose, green, tasty, pear, spices, easy to have by the glass, more herbs, medium finish. 13.5% alc

Bell pepper, grass, citris on the nose, hints of lees indicating some oak aging. High acid, citris, white pepper; but not really the passionfruit that I associate with NZ SB.

Light green-tinged yellow color; cloying, lemon grass, lime nose; lemon grass, lime, RS palate; medium finish

"2014" Sydney International Wine Show - stewarding notes; 10/13/2013-10/18/2013 (Blue Mountains, NSW) : {screwcap, 14%} Yellow-green. Intense, pungent, youthful nose of lychees and gooseberry. Fairly screams Marlborough savvy. The palate is an odd mix; it only really struck me as light/medium-bodied; the alcohol didn’t seem noticeable, the guava, gooseberry & lychee flavours were quite pronounced. There seems to be enough acid to balance things out and keep it crisp on the medium-length finish. Not bad, but for drinking now.