Winemaker Notes
Pale straw with green highlights. Aromas of lemongrass, lime peel, and elderflower, with background notes of white currant and red pepper. Medium-bodied with white peach, gooseberry, and citrus flavors, and a dry mineral finish. Very enjoyable when young and fresh; will age gracefully with careful cellaring.
Suggested foods include fresh, leafy green salads; seafood of all types; and dishes with lifted, aromatic herbs.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Vibrant and powerful lemon, freshly grated ginger and Key lime notes are succulent and juicy on a smooth frame. Fresh acidity turns up the volume on the pure fruit flavors. Drink now.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The Astrolabe Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc has been of the winery's most consistent and satisfying wines. The 2018 vintage is showing exceptionally well. TASTING NOTES: This wine is bright, zippy, a fresh from start to finish. Its aromas of grapefruit peel, mineral accents should pair nicely with a dozen or more freshly-shucked oysters. (Tasted: September 18, 2019, San Francisco, CA)
Capable of a vast array of styles, Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp, refreshing variety that equally reflects both terroir and varietal character. Though it can vary depending on where it is grown, a couple of commonalities always exist—namely, zesty acidity and intense aromatics. This variety is of French provenance. Somm Secret—Along with Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc is a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon. That green bell pepper aroma that all three varieties share is no coincidence—it comes from a high concentration of pyrazines (herbaceous aromatic compounds) inherent to each member of the family.
An icon and leading region of New Zealand's distinctive style of Sauvignon blanc, Marlborough has a unique terroir, making it ideal for high quality grape production (of many varieties). Despite some common generalizations, which could be fairly justified given that Marlborough is responsible for 90% of New Zealand's Sauvignon blanc production, the wines from this region are actually anything but homogenous. At the northern tip of New Zealand’s South Island, the vineyards of Marlborough benefit from well-draining, stony soils, a dry, sunny climate and wide temperature fluctuations between day and night, a phenomenon that supports a perfect balance between berry ripeness and acidity.
The region’s king variety, Sauvignon blanc, is beloved for its pungent, aromatic character with notes of exotic tropical fruit, freshly cut grass and green bell pepper along with a refreshing streak of stony minerality. These wines are made in a wide range of styles, and winemakers take advantage of various clones, vineyard sites, fermentation styles, lees-stirring and aging regimens to differentiate their bottlings, one from one another.
Also produced successfully here are fruit-forward Pinot noirs (especially where soils are clay-rich), elegant Riesling, Pinot gris and Gewürztraminer.