By the glass at the BA Lounge, Glasgow. Freshly opened. Textbook and obvious, wins one no points as to what this wine is. Very welcoming and enjoyable albeit felt a bit manufactured and confectionery. Good 88
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Pale straw color in the glass. On the nose: Lemongrass with a faint hint of both minerals and peach. In the mouth there is lemon peel and generic minerality. Solid summer staple - not going to blow anyone away, but also not offensive. We used to drink a lot of this and keep our fridge stocked with it. It was our introduction to NZ Sauvignon Blanc and, as a result, carries a bit of nostalgia whenever a bottle is opened.
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We were looking for a substitute for the outstanding 90+ Cellars Sauv Blanc. Based on a recommendation, we found one! Not for everyone. As expected, a New Zealand Sauv Blanc should deliver big grapefruit and acidity. It does - we have a replacement. Hooray!
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Sat, 02/01/20, $2 Tasting (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): “Grapes from Waihopai Valley (alluvial stony silt loams, very well drained), Mid Wairau Valley (varying depth of alluvial silt loam over gravel, well drained), & Lower Wairau Valley (deep alluvial silt deposits over gravel); Picked @ 23.3 - 18.2° Brix; Harvested predominantly in the cool of early morning, gentle juice extraction, & pressing under inert gas; Cool settled & mainly fermented in s/s tanks, around 6% of fermentation in oak barrels.12.8% ABV, 1.3 g/L R.S., 7.5 g/L T.A., & 3.42 pH;”
N: Closed; Minerals with hints of gooseberries?
P: Med body; Very RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (threshold R.S.?) counterbalanced by a becoming acidity which keeps things in check into & through the LONG, tangy/SWT (45:55) finish. For now & into mid-'21. Better suited as a quaff, though MIGHT also work with lighter fare. My VG+/EXC-, but trending towards the lower for so-so QPR in this *competitive*, flirting with R.S., white genre; 91 pts Suckling, 89 WS, 87 (Bronze) @ ’19 Decanter World Wine Awards, & 85 WE (Pickard, 9/1/19) @ $20. [This vendor's $13.95 puts it in the TOP 20% of wine-searcher's postings.]
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Light, pale straw in color. Full, fragrant & aromatic nose of ripe citrus notes of grapefruit, lemons/limes & gooseberries with overtones of floral notes, lemongrass, gravel, wet stones & minerals. Light bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, zesty, ripe citrus fruit flavors of tart grapefruit, lemons & limes & green apples with lemongrass & minerals. Lingering crisp finish. Drinks quite well at present & has some room for further development with an additional year or two.
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If you like very exuberant white wines, you should like this one. Explosion of grapefruit and blackcurrant buds aromas. Very crisp on the palate with same aromatic profile. Good length. Enjoy now!
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So here is the thing: when you professionally taste wine, there are a lot of categories that you dread to taste. Argentine Malbec, Napa Cab, Bordeaux, Carmenere, Pinotage, and of course NZ SB. That isn't to denigrate those regions or varieties, but a lot of these wines taste the same, and a lot are not very good. So back to Spy Valley. This has a lot of grapefruit. It is high acid. But it is a much nicer SB then most NZ SB. There is texture. This still isn't a wine I will reach for, but I can appreciate it.
Appearance:medium straw, clear. Nose: passion fruit big time, lemon barley, sweet citrus Palate:dry; medium acidity; citrussy lemon sherbert, then the passion fruit on mid palate through to the finish; good length.
Very pleasant but a pretty full-on fragrance. I don't really know Marlborough sauv blanc but am told this is very typical example.
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6/5/2022 - Papies wrote: 88 Points
By the glass at the BA Lounge, Glasgow. Freshly opened.
Textbook and obvious, wins one no points as to what this wine is. Very welcoming and enjoyable albeit felt a bit manufactured and confectionery. Good 88
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5/30/2020 - Mot and Rob Likes this wine: 88 Points
Pale straw color in the glass. On the nose: Lemongrass with a faint hint of both minerals and peach. In the mouth there is lemon peel and generic minerality. Solid summer staple - not going to blow anyone away, but also not offensive. We used to drink a lot of this and keep our fridge stocked with it. It was our introduction to NZ Sauvignon Blanc and, as a result, carries a bit of nostalgia whenever a bottle is opened.
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4/28/2020 - CWilliam wrote:
Didn't take notes - better on nights 2/3 - not a rebuy, but given price no complaints either.
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4/23/2020 - Sid G Likes this wine: 90 Points
Not as astringent as earlier vintages but still lovely. Crisp with delicious citrus notes, good body with a lovely mouth feel.
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2/21/2020 - Mallards wrote: 92 Points
We were looking for a substitute for the outstanding 90+ Cellars Sauv Blanc. Based on a recommendation, we found one! Not for everyone. As expected, a New Zealand Sauv Blanc should deliver big grapefruit and acidity. It does - we have a replacement. Hooray!
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2/1/2020 - srh Likes this wine:
Sat, 02/01/20, $2 Tasting (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): “Grapes from Waihopai Valley (alluvial stony silt loams, very well drained), Mid Wairau Valley (varying depth of alluvial silt loam over gravel, well drained), & Lower Wairau Valley (deep alluvial silt deposits over gravel); Picked @ 23.3 - 18.2° Brix; Harvested predominantly in the cool of early morning, gentle juice extraction, & pressing under inert gas; Cool settled & mainly fermented in s/s tanks, around 6% of fermentation in oak barrels.12.8% ABV, 1.3 g/L R.S., 7.5 g/L T.A., & 3.42 pH;”
N: Closed; Minerals with hints of gooseberries?
P: Med body; Very RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (threshold R.S.?) counterbalanced by a becoming acidity which keeps things in check into & through the LONG, tangy/SWT (45:55) finish. For now & into mid-'21. Better suited as a quaff, though MIGHT also work with lighter fare. My VG+/EXC-, but trending towards the lower for so-so QPR in this *competitive*, flirting with R.S., white genre; 91 pts Suckling, 89 WS, 87 (Bronze) @ ’19 Decanter World Wine Awards, & 85 WE (Pickard, 9/1/19) @ $20. [This vendor's $13.95 puts it in the TOP 20% of wine-searcher's postings.]
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1/13/2020 - Vinnut Likes this wine: 89 Points
Light, pale straw in color. Full, fragrant & aromatic nose of ripe citrus notes of grapefruit, lemons/limes & gooseberries with overtones of floral notes, lemongrass, gravel, wet stones & minerals. Light bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, zesty, ripe citrus fruit flavors of tart grapefruit, lemons & limes & green apples with lemongrass & minerals. Lingering crisp finish. Drinks quite well at present & has some room for further development with an additional year or two.
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12/26/2019 - AnytimeWineTime Likes this wine: 92 Points
S: lemongrass, honeysuckle
T: bright Meyer lemon, tart green apples, crisp finish
A great wine to pair with a fish dish or cucumber based appetizer.
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12/19/2019 - Francois Le Mouel Likes this wine: 90 Points
If you like very exuberant white wines, you should like this one. Explosion of grapefruit and blackcurrant buds aromas. Very crisp on the palate with same aromatic profile. Good length. Enjoy now!
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10/16/2019 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
REally pungent on the nose in the gooseberry kinda way. And of course very fresh and vibrant. Works at $16 or so.
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10/10/2019 - hutch wrote: 87 Points
So here is the thing: when you professionally taste wine, there are a lot of categories that you dread to taste. Argentine Malbec, Napa Cab, Bordeaux, Carmenere, Pinotage, and of course NZ SB. That isn't to denigrate those regions or varieties, but a lot of these wines taste the same, and a lot are not very good. So back to Spy Valley. This has a lot of grapefruit. It is high acid. But it is a much nicer SB then most NZ SB. There is texture. This still isn't a wine I will reach for, but I can appreciate it.
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9/28/2019 - Michael and Elizabeth wrote:
Appearance:medium straw, clear.
Nose: passion fruit big time, lemon barley, sweet citrus
Palate:dry; medium acidity; citrussy lemon sherbert, then the passion fruit on mid palate through to the finish; good length.
Very pleasant but a pretty full-on fragrance. I don't really know Marlborough sauv blanc but am told this is very typical example.
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9/1/2019 - bwb Likes this wine: 90 Points
Like the grapefruit
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8/4/2019 - mats13 Likes this wine: 88 Points
Hay and grapefruit. Zingy.
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