I
absolutely love crisp, flowery and super dry Sauvignon Blancs. If they come
from Marlborough in New Zeeland I’m in heaven!
This
especially applies in the summer and such a wine is an excellent tool if you
wish to prolong the summer. At the moment you can find an archetypical
Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc at Systembolaget in Saint Clair Family Estate
Vicar's Choice Sauvignon Blanc Bright Light.
The
Marlborough wine region represents 62% of total vineyard area in New Zeeland.
The number one varietal there is Sauvignon Blanc. It is closely followed by
Pinot noir and Chardonnay.
The
strong contrast between the hot sunny days and the cool nights help vintners
extend the ripening period of their vines like nowhere else. This results in
unique expressions of their grapes. For example, Sauvignon Blanc from
Marlborough offer unique aromas and flavours which earns them much praise from
wine lovers around the world.
The
Saint Clair name originates from the vineyard property, first settled by the
Sinclair family. Today Saint Clair Family Estate is owned by Neal and Judy
Ibbotson, viticulture pioneers in Marlborough since 1978. Grapes were
originally supplied to local wine companies; however a desire to extend the
quality achieved in the vineyard through to the finished wine led to the
establishment of Saint Clair Family Estate in 1994 winery.
The
grapes in this wine were harvested from selected vineyard sites capable of
reaching optimum flavour intensity before the sugar levels became too high.
This allowed the production of this beautiful wine with only 9,5 % alcohol but
rich in flavour. The grapes were machine harvested at cool temperatures and
processed at once to minimize skin contact. The juice was fermented at cool
temperatures in stainless steel to hang on to varietal character and freshness.
Fermentation was then stopped while just a little sugar remained, in order to
give the wine palate weight.
The
colour of the wine is pale straw green with hints of yellow.
The
bouquet has beautiful aromas of capsicum, fennel bulb, nettles and blackcurrant
leaf with an elegant minerality. Some citrus aroma can also be detected.
This
wine has a higlhy refreshing and mouth watering palate delivering flavours of
blackcurrant, passion fruit and gooseberry with an underlying green herbaceous
thread. There are also some very nice lime flavours present. This wine is
lighter in alcohol but no compromise has been made when it comes to flavour intensity
and complexity.
Simply
stated this wine is summer in a bottle.
Nr Systembolaget: 6004
Cost in Sweden: 89 SEK
Cost in China: apprx 150 RMB
Cost in US: apprx 9 USD
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