8/23/2009 - WineValuePicks.com wrote:

Loved it! I intended to do a full review of this wine but it was so drinkable and seductive that it was gone before I knew it. I said that the last vintage was possibly the best bottle of red you could find under $8. Its so nice to see that this vintage is of equal (and possibly greater quality... I do not remember the cherry on the nose being this full last time around). Lovely blend of cherry, vanilla and pepper. Easy to drink yet has a rewarding and lasting finish.

I will buy again.

6/2/2009 - WineValuePicks.com wrote:

Don't touch this after you open it for at least an hour. Bad things will happen... Think bitter beer face (from those Keystone Beer comercials) or feeding a mogwai after midnight. If you don't wait you will be rewarded with a sour and funky nose and a tart and unpleasant flavor that destroys the palette and whatever you choose to pair this with. After you give it a little time to open up this becomes a lot more approachable... its heavy, tannic but rewarding in the way you might take pride in continuing playing a game (pick the sport) after getting injured (if you, like me made the mistake of doing a pop and pour)... Really this remains a little tart but is pretty decent for $5.99... there is a little vanilla extract on the nose and in the mouth along with some darker fruit along with a little bit of earthy flavor... give it time and its not bad... this could be a fun wine to pop and let it sit for a long time and just watch it evolve... kind of like a science experiment... I probably would not buy this again but I certainly do not regret buying it and while I would not strongly recommend it I would not tell anyone to steer clear of it either... I think this offers a pretty good experience that is hard to duplicate at this price point... it may be worth a try if it crosses your path... I think my score might actually be a little bit conservative considering how there are soooooooooooo many wines that cost 2 to 5 times as much that flat out suck.

5/16/2009 - WineValuePicks.com wrote:

This is like taking a glass of mineral water and topping it off with lemon pledge. For $11.99 (on sale, regular price $14.99) this is a terrible deal. I would not try this again if they marked it down to $7. The Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc that I hated is better than this and that was horrible! This has no soul, no complexity, the acid stinks and it doesn't even pair well with sushi. Most Sauvignon Blancs that I have had have enhanced my sushi experience (even when they were not so good on their own).

So what are you getting here? Nothing, I would try Monkey Bay again before I considered this. Between pain (and yes it was painfully bad) and nothing, I'll take pain.

I actually had to check the back of the label to make sure that Marlborough was Marlborough NZ and we didn't have a Made in USA (Japan) situation going on here (http://www.snopes.com/business/genius/usa.asp).

5/2/2009 - WineValuePicks.com wrote:

Its not bad, but it isn't remarkable either. For the same price you could have Santa Helena Gran Reserva from the same region or a few from New Zealand. For a hair under $10 it isn't a waste of money but the marketplace is crowded with talent at this price point. I would rather go for the Santa Helena, or Nobilo, Rogopai, Matariki or even Santa Rita (120). Go ahead and try it, but do yourself a favor and try other producers to see if I am right.

I had this a back in the middle of February and it has been eclipsed by nearly everything that hasn't sucked since then which means its either mediocre or not memorable. Either way, you would be better off spending an extra dollar or two for Brancott or spending the same and getting one of the other choices above.

Its good with sushi but so are other Sauvignon Blancs that cost half the price. At this level, even though it isn't expensive it should be more than a food pairing play. It should stand on its own.

Still... its not bad, but there are sooooooooo many alternatives.

5/2/2009 - WineValuePicks.com wrote:

Nose was big. Lots of fruit, strawberry, red fruit and dark fruit. This was pretty full of flavor in the mouth but it was all big artificial fruit. No complexity. Decent finish, but that was probably artificial too. This is like a studio creation that can't sing in person, hello Ashlee Simpson! Anyway, its not terrible and it paired OK with meat and potatoes. For $2.97 at Walmart it can't hurt to try it. If I had to compare it to something I would say that its pretty similar to 2006 marquis philips sarah's blend... which cost $15 bucks and got a 90 point score from Jay Miller from WA or someone from WS if I remember correctly. This is sweet, easy to drink and it will get you drunk. There is some value in that, especially for under $3. It reminds me of when you see fruit cocktail in a can and there are two types... one with no sugar added and the other kind. This would be the other kind (funny how they have to specify that there is no sugar added to fruit rather than it being the other way around... I guess we live in a culture that likes sweets, so there will probably be a good amount of peoiple who like this wine).

5/2/2009 - WineValuePicks.com wrote:

I wasn't expecting much. Actually I was expecting that this was going to take away from the sushi that I was pairing it with but it didn't. My experiences with American Sauvignon Blanc have been limited to trying Smoking Loon (watery crap, this is the only wine I have had that was so bad that I just dumped it down the drain) and Columbia Crest Two Vines (sucked). Anyway, for 2.97 at Walmart I had to give it a try.

When I opened the bottle I was amazed by the nose. Grassy, grapefruit and pineapple. Pretty bold before I even poured my first glass. As JimKay has said this does not have a lot of fruit and it lacks complexity but it does have good acid that made it pair very well with my sushi. For the price this is an amazing achievement. It makes me wonder if this is a loss leader for Walmart (as far as I know they are the only place that sells the Oak Leaf brand).

Just off the top of my head this is better than: Columbia Crest Two Vines, Smoking Loon, Rosemount, Monkey Bay and Lindeman's. All of which cost 2 or 3 times as much.

I might not drink this on its own (although I just had a glass left over from last night it was not bad at all) but if you are looking for something to pair food with, this is a great low cost alternative. I have become so used to having Sauvignon Blanc with sushi that I have a hard time even thinking of having it without. You can get a lot of great SB at the $10 level and the Santa Helena Classic at $4.99 is also very good to pair but in this economy if you are looking to save some money this is a great option.

4/18/2009 - WineValuePicks.com wrote:

Light straw color. Honey on the nose. Nice flavors of honey, apple and cinnamon. This paired nicely with sesame chicken. Not amazing but very nice... for 4.99 you can't go wrong.

3/27/2009 - WineValuePicks.com wrote:

After trying this on my own I took this along with 2 other bottles (Marquis Philips Holly's Blend and Pacific Rim Chenin Blanc) to a BYOB on a Friday night for some friends of mine (who do not like wine) to try. This was everyones favorite followed by the Chenin Blanc (which needed a little air to devlop). From pop and pour to the last glass everyone was loving this. If you are looking for a white that everyone will like this is it. Sweet, fruity and easy to drink. Sweet apple flavors dominate with pear and a hint of butter.

3/2/2009 - WineValuePicks.com wrote:

I tried this on 4 different occasions over 2 days. I kept feeling like I just needed to catch with the right pairing or after it had a little time to open up. What can I say? It just isn't for me. Tart grape with some oak and pepper on the finish... Unremarkable... even for $9.95 (at Central Market). From the other reviews this is something you either love or just don't get. For me its just blah.

2/25/2009 - WineValuePicks.com wrote:

When you first open the bottle you are greeted with a big cherry aroma... Like George Washington chopped down his father's cherry tree and used all the cherries to make the nose. Earthy cherry, licorice and raisin on the finish. This is definitely a table wine that brings something different to the table (between the cherry tree and this I am really pushing my luck here... I know, I know!). Anyway, for under $8 you really need to seek this out.

2/21/2009 - WineValuePicks.com wrote:

This can be had for under $10 at Walmart... I paid 11 at the local beer and wine store since it was convenient. Anyway, I wanted to try this since I am on a mission to try every Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough, New Zealand (at least all the ones under $15). I had thought that every SB from this region was going to be worthwhile based on what I have read and my experience with SB from the region that I have tried so far. So much for that... This was pretty lousy... Someone here said that there was cat pee on the nose and while I can't verify that since I have never had a cat, the smell is not a pleasant one.

The taste is dominated by pineapple with some lime undertones. This reminds me of the days when you used to buy a can of pineapple juice and you had to open it with one of those old school can openers where you had to poke 2 triangle shaped holes on opposite sides of the top to pour. Not Dole either... the off brand pineapple juice. More info on my website (which is not up at the time of this writing).

2/20/2009 - WineValuePicks.com wrote:

My first Rose... Nice transparent red color, not unlike Big Red soda or (for any of my friends up north where they don't have Big Red) any kind of off brand strawberry soda you might find at the grocery store. Strawberry and powdered sugar on the nose along with a little smoke mixed
in there which kind of reminds me of of the smoky component in 2006 Henry's Drive Pillar Box Red. Taste includes strawberry, cinnamon and the darker components of a fruit cocktail. 14% alcohol but you would not know it if you didn't look at the label. This is very smooth.

Conclusion: This is very, very good but I am not completely blown away like I was the first time I tried Sauvignon Blanc. Still, this did bring a nice smile to my face.

2/17/2009 - WineValuePicks.com wrote:

Hard to beat this at $8.41. Wine Spectator says 89 points. I will take 1 point away because there wasn't much going on the nose (a little hint of pear). Sweet apple and pear with a little butter coming through. Very refreshing. Not dry at all (hello other "cheap" chard's at this pricepoint!). Very smooth on its own and did nicely later on with a little pepperoni pizza. 13% alcohol but you wouldn't know it if you didn't see the label. Show me a better chardonnay at this price... Seriously, if it exists I would like to know about it.

2/16/2009 - WineValuePicks.com wrote:

Its not bad but given the history of high scores for past vintages (92 ws, 92 was 2006) and the price point (just under $15 with tax at Walmart) I was not really impressed. I had pretty high expectations but this was unremarkable on its own. When paired with sushi it shined but without there was nothing that made this any better than a Sauvignon Blanc from Chile (Santa Helena or Veramonte... different (on the nose and in the mouth) but not really a decisive victory that would justify the 50% premium (and thats if you find this at a great price). I really preferred the 2007 Brancott Sauvignon Blanc (the regular version, not the more expensive B version)... I found the Brancott to be much more explosive on the nose and in the mouth and for under $11 (at Walmart) it is a much better play. At the $15+ price point there is too much competition for me to recommend the Kim Crawford. When I had it on its own before I started eating my sushi and after my sushi was gone it was just extremely weak. I would compare the weakness to a soda that has sat for hours and lost all of its carbonation... you could still indentify what it was (NZ SB from the Marlborough Region) but it was missing all the zip that you would expect from a freshly popped bottle (this does pop when you open the screw cap). More on my website... when it finally launches.

2/11/2009 - WineValuePicks.com wrote:

I was pretty pumped to try this out but unfortunately the cork was moldy so it was probably doomed from that point. I popped the bottle right before the power went out and a tornado hit. Given the situation (no power, tornado outside... nothing better to do) I drank it despite the high likelyhood that it was tainted. It wasn't terrible but under normal circumstances I would not try this again. Since I got a bad bottle and this is only $6.99 (and most importantly I am still alive!) I will give it another shot at some point (I bought the last bottle).

2/11/2009 - WineValuePicks.com wrote:

An excellent value for $9.79. Very big flavor that features lime and tangy citrus. This is very sweet with a crisp, clean and uplifting finish. Drink it on its own or with seafood or asian cuisine. This will not pair well with a lot of things just because it is so bold and unique. Not an every day wine but for the money this is not to be missed. I believe this was from 2007 but the bottle does not list a vintage (the card at the store said '07 and so does their website).