2009 Villa Maria "Cellar Selection" Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough

SKU #1056076

93 points from the Wine Spectator: "Refreshing and vibrant, offering tangerine and lime-tinged nectarine and green apple flavors that keep sailing through the long, generous and lively finish. Drink now. 500 cases imported." (02/10) This is a beautiful expression of Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc that blends fruit sourced from the Wairau and Awatere Valleys. A portion of the grapes are allowed skin contact to add intesity of flavor, and fermentation is done at a cold temperature to retain those flavors and aromatics. The juice then spends several weeks on the lees for middle palate weight and richness. The bouquet is bright with notes of passion fruit, white grapefruit and lime blossom. On the palate the wine is rich with more tropical fruit and citrus accents that offer good texture and very fine length. (Jim Chanteloup, K&L New Zealand Wine Buyer)

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Price: $16.99

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Varietal:

Sauvignon Blanc

- One of the best known "international" varieties originally cultivated in France and considered the parent of, with Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon. Sauvignon's wonderfully distinctive aromatics generate some of wine's most colorful descriptors, among them "cat pee," herbaceous, grassy, citrusy the world over. In France, the apex of Sauvignon Blanc production is the Loire Valley, in the appellations of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, where the terroir expresses itself most beautifully through the grape. Sauvignon Blanc is also the leading white grape varietal in Bordeaux, where it is paired with the fatter, richer Sémillon to varying degrees. Relatively easy to cultivate, though more suited to cool climates, Sauvignon Blanc has made inroads in Europe outside of France, especially in Northeastern Italy's Friuli and Alto Adige, but also on the Slovenian border. These lovely wines are often overshadowed by Sauvignon Blanc's achievements in the New World, namely New Zealand, South Africa and California. New Zealand's Sauvignon Blancs, more conspicuously fruity than most French examples, landed the small island nation on the world wine map in the late-1980s and 1990s. South African Sauvignons are one of the most successful international varieties produced in that country and are often quite elegant and affordable. In California, Robert Mondavi managed to, almost single-handedly, created a market for Sauvignon Blanc by renaming his oak-fermented version Fumé Blanc. While some wineries still use the name, California Sauvignon Blanc has secured its place in the California wine pantheon, particularly those from the Napa Valley. Washington State, Chile and Argentina also have considerable plantings of the grape.
Country:

New Zealand

- A Southern Pacific island 1,000 miles from the nearest land-mass (Australia), New Zealand has a maritime climate, suitable for wine production of excellent quality. For better or worse, this was discovered by New Zealand agriculturalists relatively recently (end of the 20th century), thus the wine industry is virtually brand new. Although most influenced by Australian academia, New Zealand's wine industry has begun to adopt many European and California viticultural and enological practices. Although the New Zealand wine biz is known most for its Sauvignon Blanc, the most planted variety is Chardonnay, with Pinot Noir gaining in popularity. Click for a list of bestselling items from New Zealand.