2023 TWR (Te Whare Ra) Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough

Professional Reviews

Staff Reviews

KW

Kirk Walker

Kirk Walker

This has become one of the wines that I look forward to the most when our direct import container lands from New Zealand. They craft some of the most exciting Sauvignon Blanc in the world. This vintage is a touch friendlier than the last. The nose is generous, there is a little more tropical fruit and a very subtle green thing. I smell this and imagine that I am relaxing in a resort near Puerto Vallarta! The guava and that fresh tropical green from all of that respiring vegetation. I love this. On the palate it is fresh and clean, almost juicy, and it has a great mouth watering finish. It is all too easy to drink this, by itself or with a meal. I love this, I can almost hear the waves in the background while tasting this wine.

SB

Scott Beckerley

Scott Beckerley

As always, the TWR Sauvignon Blanc is excellent and mouthwateringly good! This brand spanking new 2023 release has delicious pink grapefruit, lemon cream, key lime and sea salt scents and flavors. The mid-palate has a nice bit of richness and viscosity. It finishes clean and crisp.

CM

Craig Morris

Craig Morris

This is an excellent New Zealand sauv blanc. The nose is distinctly New Zealand, and the palate has all the elements in wonderful balance; Lemongrass, lovely tropical fruit, some nice minerality, and a lively acidity. But there's also a texture here, due to the hands-on winemaking and, specifically, the lees aging. This adds a weight and texture that is just wonderful. This is true, hand-crafted New Zealand sauv blanc. It's organic too!

Notes

Te Whare Ra is our longest direct import relationship — 13 years strong — from the Southern Hemisphere. Located in the Marlborough sub-region of Renwick, the winery was originally established in 1979 and purchased by the Anna and Jason Flowerday in 2003. The couple both come from wine families — Anna from McLaren Vale in Australia and Jason from Marlborough — and met while working in Australia before deciding to build their family and business in New Zealand. K&L is TWR’s exclusive US importer, even as their small boutique winery has grown and the accolades have accumulated. In 2025, The Real Review ranked TWR as the #3 Winery in New Zealand, and the #1 Winery in Marlborough. This is incredible recognition for a small 11-hectare winery resisting many of the dominant trends in the region. For the past two decades, Anna and Jason have been producing elegant, expressive wines from certified organic vineyards. This is incredibly unusual for Marlborough, where just 4% of the region’s vineyards are organic. The Flowerdays are proud of this distinction – their SV5182 wines refer to “Single Vineyard 5182” which is their BioGro NZ certification number. The TWR wines are handmade and honest. More importantly, they are a family endeavor. Jason and Anna raised their two sets of fraternal twin daughters on the property, with their home located just fifty feet from both the winery and the vines. Their work is a heartfelt labor of love, where quality and purity shine through each bottle.