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 is £8.48. The Montana Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2009 is £4.83, reduced from £5.86 regular price. Why is the Reserve cheaper than the regular?
The regular Sauvignon is fresh and precise with citrus and grapefruit characters: taut, pure and intense. The Reserve is much more aromatic, with lots of passionfruit and melon character, as well as some grassy, herby notes. It’s a richer, more attractive wine, and is a great bargain at £4.83.
4 Comments on Montana Sauvignon Blanc and the oddly priced Reserve
There are some weird things going on with NZ wine pricing in the supermarkets at the moment – Sainsbury’s are selling 3 of their Taste the Difference NZ Pinot Noir for 12 pounds – there seems to be a real shift to volume by some players in NZ’s most distinctive varietals
My guess is that someone confused the two, and that it should be the other way around 😉
Why not marks out of 20 for these wines? Which brings me on to another point.
Giving wines marks out of 20 to the nearest .25 is an amusing concept, surely – are you humble enough to admit that a wine might be worth 18.25 on the Monday and then 18 on a Tuesday? Which surely makes a mockery of such precise scores.
The most life affirming things I’ve experienced – be it films, music albums, bottles of wine, meals, days out, pets, wallpapers, paintings, cups of coffee, pyjamas – I could not possibly mark them to the nearest .25%. Even if I wanted to.
P.S. This is constructive criticism and not personal – I enjoy reading your blog, so thanks!
Interesting comments,but from where can one now purchase the Montana Sauvignon Reserve for these kind of prices?
Also, can anyone advise as to how the Brancott Estate evolved to become so prevalent, given the established Montana SB wines and how they are supposed to compare. I have tried all and struggle to tell any notable characteristic differences?