Winemaker Notes
#66 of Wine Spectator's Top 100 of 2020
Abundant notes of grapefruit, honeysuckle, passionfruit, and citrus zest evolve from the glass. At first, the palate is expansive and leads with a wall of sweet-scented fruits and a soft- but balanced- acid spine. The mid-palate grows to another level, where supple phenolics offer a framework to further lift the fruit. The wine continues to unfold and is very long and persistent. This is a seriously drinkable Sauvignon Blanc that will continue to develop for up to seven years.
Want to taste Invivo X with Sarah Jessica Parker?
Open a bottle and enjoy a virtual tasting of the inaugural vintages of the Invivo X New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Provençal Rosé along with creators Sarah Jessica Parker, Rob Cameron, Tim Lightbourne, and Wine.com’s own Gwendolyn Osborn.
Ready to taste with SJP? Watch the tasting here.
Don’t have the wines yet? Click here to buy the tasting set.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Succulent and refreshing, with Key lime, preserved ginger and green apple candy flavors that are intense and focused. Reveals a hint of toasted green tea on the juicy finish.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2019 Invivo X by SJP "Sarah Jessica Parker" Sauvignon Blanc a lovely designed wine exhibiting attractive nuances of the grape variety. TASTING NOTES: This wine is fresh, smooth, and layered on the palate. Its stylish aromas and flavors of grapefruit peel and tropical fruits coupled with its easy-drinking aftertaste should pair it well with light appetizers or a glass of wine by itself. (Tasted: August 7, 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.