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One of the many highlights of my recent South African trip was a visit to the cool-climate region of Elgin, where we were hosted by Andrew and Rozy Gunn at Iona. Their 2010 Sauvignon is quite brilliant, and so it was nice to have a chance to try it again here in the UK. Iona Sauvignon [...]
This is good. It’s a serious Sauvignon Blanc from Greywacke (pronounced ‘grey-wacky’), which is the label of Kevin Judd, ex-Cloudy Bay. Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc 2010 Marlborough, New Zealand Cloudy Bay enjoys legendary status in the UK, fetching prices a notch above those commanded by other New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs (although you are more likely to find it on the shop shelf than you would have a few years back). I guess the label has something to do with it, and the fact that [...] I’m getting quite enthused about South African whites of late. Especially the white blends. Here are two very good wines, both made by winemaker Ian Naude. One is a blend of different varieties; the other a blend of different regions. Naude 2008 Western Cape, South Africa Gabrielle Simmers first release from her Hawkes Bay vineyard raised some eyebrows when she poured it at the Bunch tasting today. It is one of the most distinctively packaged wines that I’ve encountered, bottled in clear glass and sealed with a crown cap, and just the name ‘&CO’ on the front label. The wine itself is [...] Given the climate of the Western Cape, South African Sauvignon Blanc shouldn’t be up to much. But the proof is in the wines, which are frequently very good. This is a nice example, distinctively packaged. Mulderbosch Sauvignon Blanc 2008 Western Cape, South Africa When I tried this wine back in November, I dubbed it Chile’s Cloudy Bay. It’s a startlingly fresh, pure expression of Sauvignon Blanc from a new cool-climate region of Chile, and the best thing about it is that it doesn’t rely on methoxypyrazine (the green pepper/grassy character that comes from chemicals present in unripe grapes) [...] Montana’s Sauvignon Blanc is almost always a benchmark example of the Marlborough style, made in large quantities (so you can find it everywhere) and sold at an affordable price. I tried the 2009 version alongside the 2009 Reserve. Asda’s pricing, where both are on the shelf, is hard to understand. The regular Montana Sauvignon Blanc 2009 [...] I reckon the average quality of Sauvignon Blanc is improving all the time. Here are three serious examples from across the globe, all of which are a bit different, but thoroughly enjoyable. Dourthe Grande Cuvee Sauvignon Blanc 2009 Bordeaux Totally absurd price for what is a very good wine: I’ve discovered that Asda are now selling through their remaining stocks of Southbank Estates 2009 Sauvignon Blanc (an estate-bottled Sauvignon from Marlborough, not some bulk shipped tactical ‘soft’ brand) at just £3. The 2009 is better than the 2008, which is the one I previously [...] |
 This is the blog of wine journalist Jamie Goode, online since 2001. Feel free to nose around; your comments are welcomed.
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