When looking for a food-friendly, fresh, aromatic white wine, Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand's Marlborough region hits the mark. Many of these vibrant wines are priced less than $30, making them even more dynamic options. And Marlborough's wineries are consistently enhancing the quality of these whites: A growing number of Kiwi winemakers are making wines from select parcels or vineyards while focusing on winemaking methods that will create higher-quality bottlings. Our latest Tasting Highlights showcases some of those efforts with wines that score up to 92 points on our 100-point scale, and all at excellent prices.
In northern Marlborough lies the Wairau Valley, flanked by the Richmond Mountain Range to the north and the Wither Hills to the south. The Mount Richmond Estate, planted to 100 acres of Sauvignon Blanc, is Frenzy’s sole source of grapes for its single-vineyard wine, below. Winemaker Paul Bourgeois ferments grapes from small vineyard blocks and uses the best parcels for this Mount Richmond bottling, creating a mouthwatering version with citrus, pear and green apple flavors.
This lineup includes Rapaura Springs' Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough Reserve 2024, which is generous with lemon and lemongrass notes. Read on to
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