09 May 2024
What makes Sauvignon Blanc truly captivating is the diversity of flavours it offers. The character of Sauvignon Blanc wines can vary dramatically depending on the climate in which the grapes are grown.
Wines from cooler climates tend to be crisp and fresh, with notable acidity and herbal and floral notes. In contrast, Sauvignon Blanc from warmer regions can develop sweeter tropical fruit notes. The primary fruit flavours associated with Sauvignon Blanc are green apple, lime, passion fruit, and peach. It’s a wine best consumed young, as it usually has limited aging potential.
Sauvignon Blanc, a white grape variety, has an intriguing history that spans continents. In France, it has been cultivated for centuries and in fact Sauvignon Blanc derived its name from the French word “Sauvage,” meaning wild. The vines themselves resemble wild grapevines.
But this year, I’m taking you to New Zealand, where adventurous winemakers planted the country’s first Sauvignon Blanc vines back in the 1970s. They discovered that a combination of ideal climatic conditions, skillful viticulture, and winemaking transformed the grape’s wild qualities into the characteristic “green” aromas and mouth-filling tastes of classic New Zealand.
Although Sauvignon Blanc is grown throughout New Zealand, the province of Marlborough is its undisputed heartland. Located in the South Island’s northeast, Marlborough’s cool-climate growing season creates Sauvignons with impressive aromas, distinctive fruit characteristics, and extraordinary purity and intensity of flavours.
Yealands Wine: A Sustainable Pioneer
Yealands is a renowned winery based in Marlborough, New Zealand. The first winery in the world to achieve carbon-zero certification from the outset. Their commitment to sustainability extends beyond the vineyards and into every aspect of their operations, every day.
Here, Natalie Christensen, one of the ‘World’s Most Influential Women in Wine’ in 2018, leads the winemaking team at Yealands. Her expertise and passion have resulted in remarkable wines.
Natalie joined the Yealands team in 2015 and quickly made her mark. In 2018, she was appointed as the Chief Winemaker and her aim has been to let the site and season shine in their Sauvignon Blanc wines.
She believes in embracing the unknown and encourages aspiring women in the industry to be brave and take risks.
Located in the Awatere Valley (cooler and drier than the Wairau Valley), Yealands’ Sauvignon Blanc tends to be intense with an elegant, mineral texture. Stretching from the foothills of the Kaikoura Ranges to undulating downs overlooking Cook Strait, Seaview Vineyard is the single largest privately owned vineyard in New Zealand, and I have three recommendations from there to help you join in the celebrations.
Yealands Sauvignon Blanc 2023 (RRP £10.50 Asda, Co-op. Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s and Tesco)
A very classy Sauvignon Blanc, vibrant with fresh herbs, passionfruit, and citrus aromas. It’s full of gooseberry and lemon fruit flavours and a bright fresh acidity, which leads into a complex and mineral finish.
Natalie recommends pairing this with anything from the ocean (fresh oysters, prawns). Its beautiful salty, minerality makes it a foolproof match. For me, it’s going down perfectly well with fish and chips as the natural high acidity cuts through the fat and salt, making it taste even fruiter.
Yealands Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2023 (RRP £12 Ocado, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose)
Carefully selected parcels of Sauvignon Blanc from their Seaview vineyard in the Awatere Valley were used to create this wine. The perfect weather conditions allowed the fruit to be harvested with ideal ripeness and flavour.
It’s classic in style, very perfumed with aromas of fresh herbs and blackcurrant leaf. Everything is in balance with this wine, its complex, with layers of passion fruit and lime with a mineral finish.
This wine loves food, so try it with prawns, mussels or your choice of fish.
Yealands Sauvignon Blanc Blush 2023 (RRP £10.50 Iceland, Ocado, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose)
This dry-style Sauvignon Blanc is made with a dash of Merlot. Its fresh and lively with aromas of juicy berries, blackcurrant flavours, notes of citrus and a distinctive crisp minerality on the finish.
The minerality in all three wines has clearly come from the relationship with the ocean and the misty spray that regularly covers the vineyards.
Can be enjoyed on its own but pairs beautifully with seafood, barbequed chicken and salads.
