Tag Archives: Sauvignon blanc

Kruger Family Sauvignon Blanc 2021, Nieuwoudtville, South Africa

15 Wednesday Feb 2023

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Medium lemon colored with a watery sheen on the walls (13% ABV).  The nose has aromas of lemon, lanolin, melon, passion fruit and a hint of cut grass- not as intense as a Kiwi Sav Blanc.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and a medium (-) body.  The citrus kicks things off with lemon zest followed by tropical fruit notes.  The passion fruit is somewhat tart, reminding me of the shriveled fruit I ate growing up in East Africa.  Green melon is present, but the citrus dominates with the acidity getting more prominent on the back end.  The finish is decent in length but this wine seems a bit one-dimensional.  That’s not a bad thing mind you- sometimes its good to just have a refreshing white that isn’t going to overtax the senses.  It will do well with some fresh seafood or even a crisp salad with grilled chicken.  My actual pairing tonight is with a spicy Cajun Shrimp and Andouille dish- I think it will work.  I would also pound it poolside in the hot summer sun btw.  88 points from me for this $11 wine makes it a 5 star effort.  Drink now.  Salut….

Chateau Carbonnieux Blanc 2019, Pessac-Leognan, France

27 Sunday Nov 2022

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Last night we drank four wines at the 29th Virtual Wine tasting.  Opening up with both a chilled and room temp serving of this Bordeaux blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon the group found the wine to be a pale lemon color with the textbook aromas of cut grass, citrus and dare I say- cat pee.  Other aromas and flavors included peaches, algae (?), pineapple, grapefruit and lemon curd.  The wine was dry with high acidity and a medium (-) body leading to a short finish.  I think this $45 bottle is worthy of 91 points, slightly shy of the pros who went as high as 94.  It’s delicious now and will keep for a few more years but why wait on this 4 star effort.  Seafood or poached chicken would pair nicely.  Salut….

Chateau Lamothe Blanc 2021, Bordeaux, France

16 Friday Sep 2022

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Bright lemon colored this is the third vintage of Lamothe that I have tasted.  A blend of 87% Sauvignon Blanc with 13% Semillon it has intense aromas of cut grass, gooseberry, flint, bell pepper, lemon zest, stone fruit and underripe strawberry.  The palate is dry, crisp and tart with medium (+) acidity.  Texturally speaking there is an oily component that gives this wine a medium (+) body.  The citrus takes center stage on the palate with the stone fruit backing it up.  The telltale cut grass and gooseberry are not as pronounced.  The finish is medium in length, perhaps the aromatics of this varietal linger longer.  Delicious and refreshing to say the least.  I’m impressed by this $15 wine that gets 90 points and 5 stars.  Drink with lighter fare including chicken and seafood.  It begs for oysters and clams on the half shell.  Salut….

The Ned Waihopai River Sauvignon Blanc 20121, Marlborough, New Zealand

15 Thursday Sep 2022

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I did a tasting at a wine bar recently and this was the opener- a classic Sauvignon Blanc from NZ.  Pale lemon colored with heady aromas of cut grass, gooseberry, cat pee (yes, it’s a thing), tangerine, lemon rind, melon and Passion fruit.  High acidity and a medium body were to be expected and this varietally true wine delivered!  It runs $13 and gets 90 points from me making it a 5 star effort to drink soon.  Salut….

Arabella Sauvignon Blanc 2021, Robertson, South Africa

11 Thursday Aug 2022

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Medium lemon/lime colored- this South African Sauvignon Blanc has characteristic aromas of cut grass, gooseberry, lemon and grapefruit.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and distinct flavors of the aforementioned aromas.  The body is medium (-) and the wine finishes long with a tart crispness.  It’s delicious stuff that makes me want to keep sipping.  88 points from me make this $10 wine a surefire 5 star effort to drink in the short term with seafood, perhaps a poached chicken salad or even grilled salmon.  Very refreshing in the summer heat.  Salut….

Scott Peterson Rumpus Sauvignon Blanc 2020, California

26 Tuesday Jul 2022

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Pale lemon/lime colored in the glass.  Aromas of lemon, asparagus, cut grass, melon and cape gooseberry.  On the palate this is a dry wine with high acidity.  The fruit is very rounded and I get the melange of citrus meets classic Sav Blanc fingerprints and some interesting twists with the gooseberry and melon.  The wine is medium (-) bodied and has a refreshing, if not short finish.  Serve chilled it will pair nicely with raw oysters/clams, steamed shrimp or chicken salad.  I like this $11 wine and give it 90 points and 5 stars.  Drink now.  Salut….

Dolce Late Harvest Wine 2012, Napa Valley, California

21 Tuesday Jun 2022

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I was a bit apprehensive when the cork snapped in two, hoping I could get the rest out without further ado.  I was lucky, just one floating bit.  You can never trust the provenance of a State liquor store bottle btw.  Having said that, this dessert wine is medium gold in color with very viscous legs in the glass.  The nose has pronounced aromas of apricot marmalade, honey, vanilla nib, candied lemon peel, creme caramel, peach pie and dried hazelnuts.  The longer it sits there the more tantalizing the nose gets.  The palate is sweet, as expected from this late-harvest and botrytized blend of Semillon and Sauvignon. Blanc.  There is some great acidity here that balances out the sugar perfectly leaving me with a very slippery wine with amazing mouthfeel that just transcends the palate from front to back with such ease.  The weight of this wine is sublime, full-bodied yet light and airy.  The finish is long and just a tad juicy from the acidity.  The whole package is amazing- worthy of 98 points that the pros at W.E. gave it.  For 375ml expect to pay $75.  A stunning 5 star wine that I will be serving with Blue Cheese and crackers after dinner.  Salut….

Chateau d’Yquem 2010, Sauternes, France

15 Sunday May 2022

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There’s dessert wines and then there is Chateau d’Yquem.  Head and shoulders above the rest it is the only Supérieur Premier Cru in the region.  This botrytised wine was still very young but we got exactly what we wanted out of it-

Deep gold colored. Honey, apricot, lemon marmalade, orange preserves, white blossom, nuts, super sweet with medium (+) acidity.  Full bodied. Youthful, long finish. 96 points

A pretty basic write up, but when you are sipping this stunner with chocolate lava cake it’s hard to divert too much attention to making assessments.  An amazing wine to savor with friends for the next 30 years or so.  I have to agree with the pros, this is at least a 96 point wine that gets 5 stars.  Salut….

Spy Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2021, Marlborough, New Zealand

21 Thursday Apr 2022

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We drank this Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc at my WSET wine course and I recognized the name and bottle.  Looking it up I realize that Moxie and I had drunk some of the 2012 Spy Valley on a Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong to Bali back in 2013.

This one is medium lemon colored with pronounced aromas of cut grass, asparagus, passion fruit, lemon, blossom and grapefruit.  It is still youthful.  Dry with high acidity I got medium (+) flavors of this medium bodied wine.  Medium alcohol and a long finish with a juicy ending.  Rating it 92 points and 5 stars cause you can grab some for $15.  Drink with a crisp salad, a light pasta or even grilled trout. I would  enjoy this wine till 2025. Salut….

Chateau du Cros 2015, Loupiac, France

28 Monday Mar 2022

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This dessert style Bordeaux wine is pale gold in the glass- a stunning shade imho.  The nose is chock full of Botrytis-driven goodness.  Dried apricots, honey, marzipan, orange marmalade, candied ginger.  The palate is sweet, luscious and silky- yet full bodied.  It’s hard to tell that there is much acidity, but if it lacked that key component this wine would be out of balance, which it’s not.  Unctuous flavors of apricot, honey, marmalade and candied ginger caress my palate so beautifully.  The worst part of the finish on this wine is the the fact that it ends, after a decently long time lingering on my palate.  Still young, this blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc will further evolve and be delicious until 2033.  92 points from me for this $ $28 stunner makes it a 5 star effort.  Salut….