My top 20: New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc 2020 vintage
The 2020 vintage for New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is a must-buy for lovers of the style. Cameron Douglas MS shares his expert assessment, and recommends some top picks
As with so many wine regions, New Zealand had its share of new and unexpected challenges for the 2020 harvest, as the country entered its Covid-19 Alert Level 4 (lockdown) on 26 March, a few weeks after picking had begun. But a highquality fruit harvest across most wine regions, in addition to the New Zealand government listing the wine sector as an ‘essential service’, came as real blessings.
The 2020 vintage has been excellent for New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, with an increase in plantings, crush, fruit quality, ripeness and flavour. Nearly all of the earlyrelease wines I’ve tasted have punched above their weight (some well above) in terms of concentration, purity, balance and complexity.
Regional signatures are strong, and techniques in the winery such as extended lees contact, gentle handling and less use of new oak have captured more of this variety’s subtleties, minerality and vine maturity.
‘It’s a goldilocks vintage,’ says Anna Flowerday, winemaker at Te Whare Ra in Marlborough. ‘Not too cold, not too hot – just right. Favourable conditions during flowering led to a nice, even set and moderate crops.’
‘The region expressed itself well, with salty, mineral, stony soil attributes loud and strong, and riper yellow-fruit flavours,’ says Ben Glover, winemaker at Zephyr in Marlborough.
‘Nearly all of the wines I’ve tasted have punched above their weight, and regional signatures are strong. An excellent vintage’
Headline act
Of New Zealand’s total area under vine planted across all varieties (39,935ha), Sauvignon Blanc continues to command the lion’s share. It grew from 24,605ha in 2019 to 25,160ha in 2020, according to New Zealand Winegrowers. A total of 326,058 tonnes of Sauvignon Blanc was crushed – that’s 73.6% of the country’s total – an 8% increase on 2019. Pinot Noir comes in a distant second with 7.7% of the crush, Pinot Gris at 6.5% and Chardonnay 6.2%. Marlborough remains the largest regional producer of Sauvignon Blanc, with a whopping 295,301 tonnes crushed in 2020, followed by Hawke’s Bay (12,422t), Nelson (7,868t), Gisborne (4,376t), North Canterbury (3,773t) and Wairarapa (1,771t).
Todd Stevens, winemaker at Neudorf in Nelson, says: ‘2020 was extremely good for Sauvignon Blanc. The mild-to-warm spring, December rains and dry summer culminated in near-perfect conditions to ripen fruit and make exacting, delicious wines.’
Misha Wilkinson of Misha’s Vineyard in Central Otago says that while yields were down in the region, Sauvignon Blanc did well. ‘We grow ours on a perilously steep slope, and unusually this year it was the first variety we picked. It’s already showing fabulous flavours.’
Style-wise, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is evolving. In this tasting, I noted more texture and layering from lees contact. Producers are leaving grape skins in contact with the juice for longer, and using older barrels of varying sizes for fermentation, ageing or both.
The classically pungent, herbaceous and tropical style expected of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is on show in many of the wines here, but even these have more purity from vine age and a remarkably good vintage.
Pied de cuve (cultivating the naturally occuring wild yeasts on the grape skins in the vineyard) is proving a valuable technique to produce wines with more depth, character, site expression, texture and flavour.
And while most wine lovers enjoy their New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs within the year of vintage, don’t be afraid to keep them – the style is more ageworthy than you think. Have a look at the drinking windows in my notes: many of these wines will develop over the next five to eight years with ease.
Babich, Black Label, Marlborough 2020
95
£ 13.95-£ 15.99
All About Wine, Exel
Fantastic bouquet of orchard fruits and sage, apple and tropical fruit, sweet basil and a flinty, leesy quality. Complex, crisp, refreshing and dry on the palate, with flavours that mirror the nose. As the wine opens up in glass, the complexity begins to build, leading to a long and delicious finish. Drink 2021-2025 Alcohol 13%
Lawson’s Dry Hills, Reserve, Marlborough 2020 95
£ 15.95
St Andrews Wine Co
Lovely perfume: complex and intriguing spice and ripe stone fruit, baked citrus and a seam of minerality along with layered dried and fresh herbal scents. The delicious palate follows on, adding mineral and barrel-spice layers with a fine-lees autolysis. The finish is long with a silky, saline mouthfeel. Drink 2021-2026 Alc 13%
Astrolabe, Awatere Valley, Marlborough 2020 94
£ 19.99
Waitrose
Classic bouquet and palate of tropical fruits, ripe apple, lemon pith and peach tea, along with fresh sage and basil lift. The core of sweet fruit and minerality on the palate is accentuated by refreshing acidity. Well made, lengthy, harmonious and ready. Drink 2021-2024 Alc 13.5%
Greywacke, Marlborough 2020
95 £ 17.99-£20.50
Exel, Liberty Wines, Loki Wines, Philglas & Swiggot, Specialist Cellars, The Solent Cellar, The Vineking, Wine Utopia
Seductive bouquet of wild flowers and minerals, a fine-leesy complexity and fresh aromas and flavours of citrus, peach tea and sweet hay. Crisp, refreshing, fruity and dry with fine texture. Just enough concentration of flavour to contrast the fresh herb notes and salivating acidity. Well made and long. Drink 2021-2028 Alc 13.5%
Zephyr, Marlborough 2020
95
£ 14.99
Alliance Wine, Darley Abbey Wines, The NZ House of Wine Floral, mineral, complex bouquet of peach blossom, apple, herbs and stony, almost silty minerals. A satin texture is contrasted by crisp acidity and a core of melon, white peach and gooseberry fruit. Enticing, with a lick of sea salt, mineral and blossoms on the finish. Delicious and complete. Organic. Drink 2021-2026 Alc 13%
Auntsfield, Single Vineyard, Southern Valleys, Marlborough 2020
94
£ 15.99-£ 16.99
Caviste, Dvino Wines, Saxtys, The Grocery E2,
Wines with Attitude
Layered, complex nose of tropical fruits and flowers, sweet lemon and apple, fresh basil then a delicate gooseberry note. Equally complex on the palate, with youthful tension from the acidity and a leesy texture accentuated by the herbaceousness and ripe fruit. A delicious and serious wine. Drink 2021-2026 Alc 13%
Dog Point, Marlborough 2020 94
£ 14.95-£ 18.50
Specialist Cellars, St Andrews Wine Co,
The Oxford Wine Co, The Wine Society
Powerful, precise and classic Dog Point Sauvignon: stylish and mineral nose of citrus and tropical fruit and an abundance of fresh herbs. All the attributes displayed in the bouquet come alive on the silky, fresh, salivating and fruity palate. A lively, refreshing example; well made, lengthy and tasty. Organic. Drink 2021-2026 Alc 13.5%
Loveblock, Marlborough 2020
94 £22-£22.50
Luvians, Pip of Manor Farm, Pop! Wines, Red Squirrel, Selected Grapes, Specialist Cellars, The Grape Escape, The Little Wine Shop, The Old Garage, Urban Cellar, Wine Boy
Distinctive, almost exotic, pure, ripe. Aromas of lemon, grapefruit, white spice, wild flowers, apple and sweet herbs. The silky, textured palate and fruit density give way to a line of acidity, soft herbs, flowers and spices. Organic. Drink 2021-2025 Alc 13.5%
Cloudy Bay, Marlborough 2020 94
£24-£31
Widely available
Classic, pungent, herbaceous bouquet of pink grapefruit, tropical fruit, apple and fresh herbs. Equally urgent on the palate, with high acidity and flavours of passion fruit, pineapple, lemon, basil, white peach, flowers, hay and stony minerality. Delicious, fresh, crunchy texture and a lengthy finish. Drink 2021-2026 Alc 13.2%
Giesen, Marlborough 2020 94
£ 13.49
Vinceremos
Aromas of roasted citrus and sweet herbs, peach tea, flowers and fragrant spices. The mineral palate has a satin texture with contrasting acidity and dense core of fruit. Lengthy finish with a mix of spices, preserved lemon and whispers of tropical fruit. Organic. Drink 2021-2025 Alc 12.5%
Opawa, Marlborough 2020 94
£ 15.99
John E Fells
Ripe, fruity and pungent aromas of peach and apple, a mineral note, mild toasty lift and fresh and dried herbs. The delicious palate shows a good concentration of stone and citrus fruits and fine-leesy autolysis. Layers of herbs and minerals add complexity and depth. Drink 2021-2024 Alc 12.5%
Te P¯a, Marlborough 2020 94
POA
Buckingham Schenk
Punchy and exotic style, with a fresh-fruited nose and palate of gooseberry, nettles, grapefruit, apple, peach, herbs and spice. Crisp, refreshing and dry on the palate, with intensity and drive, showing lots of minerality and fresh-herb complexity. Drink 2021-2025 Alc 13%
Leftfield, New Zealand 2020
93
£ 13.75
NZ House of Wine, Sissinghurst Wines, Spot Wines, The Cave, The Whalley Wine Shop
A cross-regional blend in 2020. Layered, complex aromas of pineapple, lemon, pear, sage, wet stones. Crisp, mouthwatering acidity and flavours of citrus and tropical fruits. Well made and balanced, satin texture and a long finish. Drink 2021-2022 Alc 13%
Rock Ferry, 3rd Rock, Marlborough 2020
94
POA
Buckingham Schenk
Fleshy, ripe aromas of mango, apple, lemon and passion fruit. Crisp, salivating and dry on the palate, with more apple and tropical fruits, citrus and stony mineral highlights, plus layers of basil and sage weaving in and out. Balanced and well made, with a lovely mouthfeel. Drink 2021-2025 Alc 13%
Giesen, Uncharted, Marlborough 2020
93
POA
Walker & Wodehouse
Gentle and youthful nose of ripe citrus, basil and minerals. The palate is tense, vibrant and fresh, showing a core of fresh white peach, lemon, sage and more mineral flavours. The firm acidity and texture, moderate alcohol and leesy notes dovetail into a long, balanced and true Sauvignon Blanc finish. Drink 2021-2024 Alc 12.5%
Luna Estate, Martinborough, Wairarapa 2020
93
N/A UK
www. lunaestate.co. nz
Distinctive bouquet of fresh apple and silty mineral soils, peach and gooseberry, sage and autolytic leesy notes. Fresh and fruity on the palate, with salivating acidity and flavours that mirror the nose. Balanced, refreshing and well made.
Drink 2021-2024 Alc 12.5%
Seifried, Aotea, Nelson 2020 93
£ 16.50
John E Fells, Specialist Cellars
Attractive fruit-centric bouquet of peach tea, sweet lemon, apple then fresh hay and herb notes. Fresh, fleshy and textural palate of lemon and tropical fruit, plenty of salivating acidity and a balanced, lengthy finish. Drink 2021-2025 Alc 13%
Jackson Estate, Stich, Marlborough 2020
92
£ 12.99
Majestic, Waitrose
An inviting and classically varietal, zesty and fruity nose: passion fruit, peach and lemon. There’s a firmness on the palate from bright acidity and fresh-herb flavours, then grapefruit peel and tropical fruit to contrast. Balanced and well made, but needing some more time to settle. Drink 2021-2025 Alc 13%
Moana Park, Marlborough 2020 93
N/A UK
www. moanaparkcellar.co. nz
Young, fresh, vibrant and fruity aromas and flavours of grapefruit, white peach, pineapple and mango, then a seam of river-stone minerality. Bright acidity refreshes the palate with a light saline note. The herbaceous character typical of Sauvignon Blanc is quite light and understated with this wine. Drink 2021-2025 Alc 13%
Esk Valley, Marlborough 2020 92
£ 10.75-£ 16.99
Exel, North & South, The Oxford Wine Co, Tivoli Wines Classic Sauvignon Blanc bouquet of tropical fruit, fresh herbs, ripe apple and citrus and a wet stone-like mineral complexity. The flavours mirror the nose, while plenty of acidity gives the palate a crunchy, refreshing texture leading to a satisfying, salivating finish. Drink 2021-2023 Alc 13%