what are organic winemakers drinking on #sauvblancday?
Updated: Apr 30
International #sauvblancday has arrived, and many of you are probably thinking: Which Sauvignon Blanc should I drink to celebrate this delicious and iconic grape variety?
Well, to give you some ideas we have asked a few of our organic wine producers to share their favourite Sauvignon Blancs of all time (scroll down for their answers).
We welcome you to take part and tell us your personal favourite by tagging us at #organicwinegrowersnz #sauvblancday so we can all remotely share a delicious glass of Sauvignon Blanc.
photo credit: clos henri vineyards
BABICH WINES
Adam Hazeldine, Senior Winemaker
What makes the Babich organic Sauvignon Blanc so special?
This succulent wine is full of personality – each sip takes you straight to the vineyard!
What is your favourite ‘other’ Sauvignon Blanc?
Lindauer Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc. It's varietal, fun and a great go-to on a hot day. Good price also!
CARRICK WINES
Rosie Menzies, Winemaker
Favourite Carrick SB? The 2019 Bannockburn.
Favourite ‘other’ Sauvignon Blanc?
Domain Bersan JL & JC, Saint-Bris – mineral, textural and subtle. From Burgundy’s only appellation for Sauvignon Blanc – it brings alive memories from a wonderful harvest in 2008.
CLOS HENRI
Damien Yvos, Winemaker
Favourite Clos Henri Sauvignon Blanc? Opening a bottle of our Clos Henri Sauvignon Blanc and sharing it with customers, the team, family and friends will always be one of my favourite moments. At each sip, I reflect on the incredible journey Clos Henri has been over the last 20 years. We love its purity, finesse and minerality which shows how much Sauvignon Blanc can make wonders when it comes to expressing terroir… delicately.
Favourite ‘other’ Sauvignon Blanc?
We have many favourite Sauvignon Blancs; we just love this variety so much! I would
like to make a special mention of Mahi Wines and its winemaker Brian Bicknell. I always admired his devotion to making fine and elegant Sauvignon Blanc as opposed to bold and opulent. He always knows how to unveil the finesse that Marlborough can offer to Sauvignon.
CHURTON
Jack Weaver, Sales & Marketing
Favourite Churton Sauvignon Blanc?
My favourite of our current Sauvignon Blancs is the 2018. This was a very tough and challenging vintage, but we made one of our best wines of Sauvignon Blanc.
THE DARLING
Chris Darling, co-owner & winemaker
What is your favourite Sauvignon Blanc?
Our “Arnst” Sauvignon Blanc is definitely one of our favourites. It is definitely the one we drink at home! Fermented in older oak, this wine has power and finesse. It is unfined and unfiltered leaving only the grapes to speak for themselves. The 2016 vintage was a cracker with almost perfect conditions.
DOG POINT
Murray Cook, Winemaker
What is your favourite Sauvignon Blanc?
Section 94 2013, which is drinking perfectly now.
What is your favourite ‘other’ Sauvignon Blanc?
Churton Best End, because of its complexity, balance and elegance.
FROMM
Hätsch Kalberer, Winemaker
More familiar with the making of red wines, Hätsch Kalberer, winemaker at Fromm, does appreciate a good, dry Sauvignon Blanc that offers a combination of ripe Sauvignon Blanc flavours with underlying minerality and a firm, textural quality on the palate.
Favourite ‘other’ Sauvignon Blanc?
I haven't got a personal favourite but would point to Churton, Folium, Clos Henri, Te Koko 2015 or a mature Section 94 from Dog Point amongst the non-herbaceous local examples that I enjoy drinking.
GREYSTONE
Dom Maxwell, Winemaker
Why do I love this wine?
Texture and layers. Sauvignon holds ample natural acidity, so when you ferment slowly over eight months on full lees, the texture transforms the wine. We see a clear definition of minerality from our site, but overall it’s so drinkable.
Favourite ‘other’ Sauvignon Blanc?
Manincor from Italy is my favourite international Sauvignon Blanc.
KELLY WASHINGTON
Tamra Washington, Co-owner & Winemaker
Favourite wine
Kelly Washington Sauvignon Blanc 2019
Favourite ‘other’ wine
Chateau Malartic Lagraviere, Bordeaux
PEREGRINE WINES
Fraser McLachlan CEO
Favourite Sauvignon Blanc?
Peregrine Sauvignon Blanc 2019. Elegance, fresh acidity and fine minerality define our unique Central Otago Sauvignon Blanc style. This is one of my favourite wines in our portfolio, as each time I open a bottle I’m immediately reminded of the stunning
landscape, fresh air and clear, big skies of our beautiful region.
Winemaker Nadine Cross' favourite ‘other’ Sauvignon
Te Whare Ra SV5182 – Varietal, textural, complex. Made from a great site by great people! This wine completely reflects the attention to detail and thought that goes into how Jason and Anna make their wines. It also reminds me how diverse Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc can be.
SERESIN ESTATE
Michael Seresin, Owner
Favourite Seresin Sauvignon Blanc? Seresin Estate 2016 Mārama
Favourite ‘other’ Sauvignon Blanc
Didier Dagueneau. His ethos, viticulture & winemaking, manifested in his various Loire appellation wines, represent the epitome of this grape.
Both Silex and Pur Sang of most vintages are stunning, with a purity and rigour unparalleled I believe. I first tasted a 1992 Silex. I was overwhelmed, not realising the potential of this grape. Something for us to aspire to.
SUPERNATURAL WINES
Gregory Collinge & Hayden Penny, Owner & Winemaker
Favourite Supernatural Sauvignon Blanc?
With our favourite savvy ‘The-Super-Nat’ in the middle – a bottle-fermented, completely naturally sparkling ‘pet nat’ savvy.
photo credit - @andtays & @viinilehti
Favourite ‘other’ Sauvignon Blanc? I’m a huge fan of Hermit Ram’s latest skin-fermented savvy, which we know is made naturally but not sure if they are certified organic? Otherwise, we are big fans of Te Whare Ra Wines and everything they do.
TE AWANGA WINES
Rod McDonald, Winemaker
Favourite Te Awanga Sauvignon Blanc? This is our new Wildsong Organic Sauvignon that we’re sending exclusively to the UK at the moment. It’s grown at Mangatahi in Hawke’s Bay on old river terraces. Cool nights and a little altitude make it a pretty limey, grapefruity little number. It’s hand picked, whole bunch pressed and around 20% barrel fermented, lees stirred to add creaminess and complexity that balances the natural acidity.
Favourite ‘other’ Sauvignon Blanc
I love the Sauvignon Blanc made in NZ that burns off the primary fruit character and leaves behind something more mineral and complex. The Marisco Pride and Glory is a pretty cool NZ example and for an international, can’t go past Didier Daguenau Pouilly-Fume Silex from the Loire. A bit of cliché maybe, but I love it and it always delivers.
URLAR WINES
Jannine Rickards, Winemaker
These are the two Sauvignon Blanc wines from my first harvest at Urlar, Gladstone in 2018. A warm season has lent a very generous / textural and riper style of Sauvignon Blanc. The Estate wine is predominantly fermented in stainless steel tanks (though it does have a touch of
barrel and skin fermented Sauvignon Blanc in it too!). The Sur Lie style with the new label for our Japanese market is barrel fermented and aged on its lees for 10 months. It has a larger portion of the skin fermented element to it (both whole bunch and de-stemmed ferments).
Sauvignon Blanc is a very energetic and diverse grape variety in the Wairarapa. It crops naturally quite low due to our exposure to the south and high winds, so we get a concentrated and riper fruit spectrum. Gladstone Sauvignon Blanc from our site tends to give alluring guava, yellow stonefruits, elderflower, ripe citrus with floral and spice notes from skin fermented portions. I think that the barrel fermented styles of Sauvignon Blanc can be very complex and age-worthy wines and are incredible for food pairing. Some of the most memorable food and wine matches I have had are with barrel aged Sauvignon or blends based around this variety.
My favourite examples of Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand are a local Wairarapa gem from Ata Rangi called ‘Raranga', which is incredibly balanced, intriguing and delicious, and Dog Point's Section 94 which pushes the boundaries in style and complexity
WINDRUSH
Callum Linklater, Owner & Viticulturist
Favourite Windrush Sauvignon Blanc
2019 Sauvignon Blanc
Favourite ‘other’ Sauvignon Blanc
“What impresses me about our neighbours at Clos Henri is that with their history of growing Sauvignon Blanc in the Loire Valley for 10 generations, they have also chosen to come to Marlborough to grow Sauvignon Blanc. This is a real testament to Marlborough and speaks volumes about New Zealand but more specifically, Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc."
WALNUT BLOCK
Clyde Sowman, Owner & Viticulturist
Favourite Walnut Block Sauvignon Blanc
My favourite Sauvignon Blanc from our range is the Nutcracker Sauvignon Blanc. It's 100% hand picked, and a third is wild fermented in old barrel. The barrels have very little influence on the wine, however I like the characters we get from wild yeasts
when fermented in wood. The hand-pick tones down the wine slightly; instead the wine develops full and lush style with loads of complexity.
Favourite SB experience? Back when I was young… I worked in Harrods Wine Department, London. There I was introduced to a heap of great wines including an absolute eye opener, the Smith Haut Lafitte white, 90% Sauvignon Blanc. Until then, I really didn’t know what the Sauvignon Blanc grape was capable of.
Photo credit: The Darling wines