We have a good rapport with the neighbours so I have an idea as to their drinking pleasures.
Bubbles where I would have guessed, craft beer at another ... I didn’t get to the end of the street where I might have expected Chardonnay, but dominant overall was Sav Blanc and Pinot Noir.
They have become powerhouses of local wine, so here are a tranche of Sav Blancs to whet your whistle.
2023 Rapaura Springs Rohe — Dillons Point Sauvignon Blanc
Rating Excellent to Outstanding
Aromas bound out of
the glass, feijoa,
sweat, capsicum, fruit
pastille, more grass/
herb with time.
Pungent and no
doubting the grape.
Great flavour intensity,
filling the mouth,
herbs, capsicum,
gooseberry, fruit jube,
orange-inflected
citrus. Vibrant, fresh,
lively with a nice
mouthfeel. Nice
energy, summer in a
glass.
2023 Rapaura Springs Rohe — Blind River Sauvignon Blanc
Rating Excellent to Outstanding
Classic aromas of
gooseberry and cut
grass, a perfumed top
note. Creamy,
beautifully weighted
palate, that perfume
shifting to musk and
spices, married to
green herbs, cut
grass, a wisp of gum
and citrus zest on the
close. Lively in the
mouth, notable palate
weight and richness,
nice carry, finishing
with a real refreshment
factor. Nicely done.
2022 Coal Pit Proprietor’s Reserve Central Otago Sauvignon Blanc
Rating Excellent
Attractive and complex
nose picking up tropical
fruit nuances, pineapple,
cut grass, pea pod,
honey, perhaps a hint of
oak? Chewy grip and
real textural impact
initially offering more in
the citrus and musk
flavour spectrum.
Aeration opens things
up, pea pod and cut
grass come into play,
citrus zest too. Quite an
impactful wine with a
lip-smackingly long
close.
2023 Main Divide North Canterbury Sauvignon Blanc
Rating Very Good to Excellent
Pungent nose of green
herbs, gunflint, schisty/
stony notes, a touch of
feijoa. A little spritz on
the front palate, grassy,
gooseberry, red
capsicum, a tropical
influence underpinned
by really zesty, appley
acidity. Has sunny day
drinking written all over
it. Time allows creaming
soda and apple flavours
to join in, the spritz
bringing tingliness to the
close.
2023 Rapuara Springs Rohe — Rapaura Sauvignon Blanc
Rating Excellent
Bold nose, sweat
leads, green herbs,
gooseberry, smoke.
Creamy texture,
filling the mouth with
flavour, juiciness
like biting into a
crisp apple. Ripely
fruited melds with
refreshing grassy/
green herb notes
flowing to a long and
engaging finish that
begs another glass.
A little struck match
appears with time. A
smart wine.
2022 Loveblock Organic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
Rating Very Good to Excellent
Fascinating nose,
wisps of smoke and
honey, gunflint,
shifting to nettle and
fresh cut herbs. Crisp,
racy acidity drives the
palate, backed by
notes of apple and
citrus, cut grass notes
framing the close. As
the wine opens up a
ripe fruit/fruit pastille
quality grows, building
some nicely creamy
elements as a
counterpoint to the
bright acidity.
