The Grapevine: New Zealand winemakers give a salute to sassy sauvignon blanc

By Laurie Daniel

Although New Zealand’s wine industry has diversified considerably in recent years, sauvignon blanc is the grape that put the country on the world’s wine stage. It still accounts for nearly half of the wine-grape acreage in New Zealand.

Sauvignon blanc is grown in half a dozen regions on the North and South Islands, but I think it reaches its best expression in Marlborough, in the northern part of the South Island. At its best, Marlborough sauvignon blanc is pungent and vivid, with fruit flavors that range from citrus to honeydew melon to passion fruit and often an herbal or grassy component. It’s a style that has become extremely popular with American wine drinkers: About three-quarters of the New Zealand wine sold in the United States is Marlborough sauvignon blanc, according to Jim Robertson of Pernod Ricard New Zealand, whose wineries include Montana, which sells its wines here under the Brancott label.

Soaring demand

To meet the demand, more and more sauvignon blanc is being planted. It’s profitable for the growers, too —so much so that wineries have trouble persuading growers to plant pinot noir, the hot red grape variety in New Zealand and one that does well in Marlborough. Sauvignon blanc is easier to grow, the vines can carry a larger crop, and the grapes can be harvested by machine. And growers are paid nearly as much per ton for sauvignon blanc as they are for the much more difficult-to-grow pinot.

Like any large appellation, Marlborough has some easily definable subregions, each of which imparts specific flavors to the grapes grown there. The Wairau Valley, sometimes called the Rapaura district, is a broad valley running east-west. Although the Wairau is a cool region, it’s the warmest of the Marlborough subareas. Branching off to the south of the Wairau are the second sub-region, the southern valleys, such as the Brancott and Waihopai valleys. These valleys are cooler than the Wairau. (The first commercial plantings of Marlborough sauvignon blanc occurred in 1973 at Montana’s estate in the Brancott Valley.)

The third sub-region has seen explosive growth recently. The Awatere Valley is south of the Wairau and is the coolest part of Marlborough. When I visited about 4-1/2 years ago, there were some vineyards there, but the valley is now a sea of vines.

Sauvignon blanc grown in the warmer areas exhibits more tropical flavors. As you move into the cooler areas, the flavors get more citrusy, with pink grapefruit being a common characteristic. Sauvignon blanc from the Awatere often displays a tomato stalk note that would be familiar to anyone who has grown tomatoes; it’s the aroma left on your hands after you pinch off the foliage. Many wineries opt to blend fruit from throughout the appellation for complexity.

Although prices have been increasing, there are still some good values in Marlborough sauvignon blanc, especially from some of the large wineries. The 2007 Brancott Sauvignon Blanc ($13), for example, is fresh and crisp, with grapefruit, honeydew melon and passion fruit flavors, while the 2007 Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc ($13) is a little grassier. The 2007 Villa Maria “Private Bin” Sauvignon Blanc ($15) is a rounder, softer version. All three are good examples of middle-of-the-road New Zealand sauvignon blanc.

Superb Spy Valley

A current favorite of mine is the 2007 Spy Valley Sauvignon Blanc ($18), which blends fruit from the Wairau and cooler Waihopai valleys. The wine is fresh and vivid, with honeydew melon and some grassiness. (Spy Valley takes its name from the presence of a nearby satellite communications monitoring station.) I’m also a big fan of the 2007 Wither Hills Sauvignon Blanc ($17), with its honeydew and pink grapefruit flavors.

Cloudy Bay was the first Marlborough winery to make an international splash with sauvignon blanc, and its 2007 ($25) is fresh and grassy, with pink grapefruit and passion fruit flavors. The 2007 Saint Clair Sauvignon Blanc ($19) is a little fuller-bodied than some, with persistent flavors of grapefruit and passion fruit. Other recommended versions include the grassy, minerally 2007 Stoneleigh ($16); the fresh, round, aromatic 2007 Dashwood ($18); the 2007 Kim Crawford Sauvignon ($17), with its grassy melon flavors; the 2007 Babich Black Label ($16), with its melon and passion fruit flavors; and the vivid, herbaceous 2007 Mud House ($15).

If you’re willing to spend more, you can find some small-lot sauvignon blancs from specific vineyard blocks or sub-regions. Saint Clair and Brancott, for example, offers these sorts of wines, priced in the mid-$20 range.