Made in NZ: The Top 20 Kiwi Sauvignon Blancs

Posted on Nov 22, 2018

The mighty All Blacks have lost a game and the knives are out.

The captain is too old, the coach has to go, the back three are no good…. The Wallabies must thank the stars they don’t have to face such demanding fans.

But one thing the kiwis can still count on is their mastery of sauvignon blanc. Its heady aromas and tangy palate are never bettered when the fruit is sourced from Marlborough. The region’s unique gifts to sauvignon blanc have made the South Island idyll NZ’s most expensive terroir.

Australian winemakers do their best to emulate the trans-Tasman interlopers.  They use the same yeast and source grapes from cooler regions like the Adelaide Hills. But insiders admit some exasperated locals quietly resort to adding a splash of kiwi juice to boost their less popular Australian versions.

The recent announcement of the NZ Wine of the Year Awards brings the curtain down on the kiwi show scene for the year and allows us to survey which wine stands tallest among its peers.

Just over 400 sauvignon blanc labels were presented to NZ shows last year. We have tallied the nearly  800 scores they were awarded to rank them all. A full list of all wines will appear in our upcoming edition of Vinloco’s Australasian Wine Form. Meanwhile, and just in time for summer, here are the Top 20 best kiwi sauvignon blancs:

1 Vidal Reserve Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2018
2 Rapaura Springs Reserve Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2018
3 Dashwood Sauvignon Blanc 2018
4 Yealands Estate Single Vineyard Awatere Valley Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2018
5 SOHO Pink Sheep Sauvignon Blanc 2018
6 Brancott Estate Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2018
6 Wairau River Sauvignon Blanc 2018
8 Babich Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2018
9 Thornbury Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2018
10 Framingham Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2017
11 Giesen Single Vineyard The Fuder Matthews Lane Sauvignon Blanc 2015
12 Mount Riley Limited Release Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2018
13 Vavasour Sauvignon Blanc 2018
14 Hunter’s Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2017
15 Grove Mill Sauvignon Blanc 2018
16 Lawson’s Dry Hills Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2018
17 Rapaura Springs Classic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2018
18 Goldwater Sauvignon Blanc 2018
19 Russian Jack Sauvignon Blanc 2018
20 Craft Series ‘Pride and Glory’ Sauvignon Blanc 2013
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