OmiyaDrinker
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2025 Astrolabe Wines Sauvignon Blanc Kekerengu Coast
8/6/2026 - OmiyaDrinker wrote: 91 Points
Astrolabe Sauvignon Blanc; 8/2/2026-8/7/2026: Pale lemon appearance (although slightly darker than the Awatere). Pronounced nose of peach, lemon peel, yoghurt, brioche, orange, tropical fruits such as mango are more prominent (rather than passion fruit).
On the palate, Dry / High acid / Medium alcohol / Medium+ body (at least significantly higher than the Awatere) / medium+ intensity. Long finish on this that’s very linear - it doesn’t so much evolve on the finish as just maintain the aromas and flavours described for an extended period with a salty character the only new entrant
Very good quality / Borderline outstanding. For this a portion of whole-bunch pressed, high solid, wild yeast, barrel fermented juice is blended in a that makes a huge difference. While the methods and outcomes are quite different, my response to this wine was analogous to my response to the Dog Point Section 94: both made me rethink what Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc could be, whereas the Greywacke Wild felt more like an intriguing development of a style I already understood.
Lovely stuff with the texture and breadth of aromas adding real complexity. I will certainly buy a few bottles of this to age for 5 years or so as it could develop in interesting ways. Justifies the price at US$26.
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2025 Astrolabe Wines Sauvignon Blanc Awatere
8/6/2026 - OmiyaDrinker wrote: 90 Points
Astrolabe Sauvignon Blanc; 8/2/2026-8/7/2026: Popped and poured. Pale lemon appearance. Pronounced nose of lemon, lime, passion fruit, gooseberry. The flavour profile is obviously similar to the regional bottling but the differences to me would include being even more citrus dominant, more minerality (wet stone), a slightly creamy texture and flavour profile (Lemon curd), and a more herbal touch (dill, basil, sage) vs. the grassy methoxypyrazine flavours.
On the palate, dry / high acid / medium alcohol / medium body / medium+ intensity / medium+ finish. There’s perhaps also slightly more body to this and a creamier mouthfeel than the regional bottling and the slightly salty finish (a bit like sweetened butter) also seems characteristic. 91
Winemaking is the same across both bottles. Fascinating tasting that shows consistency of the pure, precise Astrolabe style but enough difference to be interesting. Very good quality - I think the regional bottling is marginally the better wine but given this is only a couple of dollars more (US$20 vs. $18), well worth it for something new and I’d say worth it as a step up from entry level New Zealand SB. The site recommends to age this. I can understand this given the acidity and intensity is there, but my sense would be to drink this on the primary fruit. I will age a couple of find out.
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2008 Elio Grasso Barolo Gavarini Chiniera
8/2/2026 - OmiyaDrinker wrote: 95 Points
Popped and poured then drank over 2 days (resealing bottle). Improved for first hour in glass then stayed consistent for next 2 days. Pale garnet appearance. Pronounced nose with red fruits dominant (red cherry, raspberry) but traces of dark fruit (blackcurrant) also present . Quite floral with violet and a little rose. Prominent minty character with some liquorice and nutmeg. Tertiary notes such as truffle, forest floor, and mushroom are developing but the nose still seems gloriously brooding and far from fully developed.
On the palate, dry / high acid that rains on the palate for the 2nd half of the wine / high alcohol (14.5%) / full body / pronounced flavour intensity with a strong core of fruit / high tannins that are still grippy but the fantastic quality of the tannin and emerging integration contribute to an overall silky sensation on the palate / very long finish that proceeds through multiple sequential layers of ripe fruit, cough candy, balsamic, cured meats, mint and dried herbs.
Outstanding quality. This is magnificent and just drinking at the start of its prime window. It’s still got a long way to go but you can start to taste the full quality of this wine now. My previous bottle was in 2015- I had some doubts about this wine then but it is developing exactly as I’d hoped. Very glad I held onto my case and will look forward to drinking my 5 remaining bottles at 2-3 year intervals. For me, a bargain at the US$60 I paid and worth the time and money of storage over the past decade.
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