And the winner is...
Vavasour, Sauvignon Blanc, Awatere Valley,
Marlborough, New Zealand 2010 (13%)
Bright gooseberry fruit, with a hint of lime. Grassy
but not too vegetal with herbs, nettles and a touch of
mineral, too. Beautifully elegant – a perfect wine!
UK: £10.99; Coe, D&D, Har, Maj
Wre stin g yet anot her Sauvignon Blanc trophy out of Chilean hands (it won both under and over £10 categories in 2010), New Zealand reaffirms its position as a producer of world class Sauvignon – at any price point. Winemaker Stuart Marfell grew up in Marlborough and was a Vavasour fan from a tender age. He was in junior school when Vavasour’s first harvest took place in 1989, and lent a hand. ‘The local farmers’ wives helped pick during the first harvest and I tagged along with my mum. I ate a lot of grapes and thought it was pretty cool.’ He returned in 2003 as a qualified winemaker and hasn’t left.
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