Winemaker Notes
Taylors Pass Sauvignon Blanc has lifted aromatics of fresh garden peas and blackcurrants mingled with herbs such as cilantro. On the palate are concentrated flavors of jalapeño and lemongrass, with a punchy finish of lime zest and a hint of gunflint. A key point of interest in this wine is the chalky texture reminiscent of wet river stones.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
A pungent wealth of gooseberry, peach, mango and lemon with an appealing herbaceous purity and a long, layered finish.
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James Suckling
Bright and lively sauvignon, showing aromas of green pears, kiwi fruit, snow peas and elderflowers. It’s medium-bodied, with such freshness and crunchy energy.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Single Vineyard Taylors Pass Sauvignon Blanc is pungent and bright, with concentrated green apple, lime, coriander, juniper and brine. Everything is in place here. It’s a juicy wine with loads of flavor. The fine phenolics through the finish elevate the wine beyond the usual summer drinking wine. Very good.
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.