Smith & Sheth, Wairau Valley (Marlborough, New Zealand) Sauvignon Blanc 2021

 In case you haven’t noticed, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc has evolved from the in-your-face herbaceous wines that arrived to the U.S. in the 1990s.  This elegant edition from Smith & Sheth Cru is a beautiful, elegant, harmonious wine with ripe apple, peach, pink grapefruit fruit intertwined with floral notes and crisp acidity.  Smith & Sheth is a partnership between Steve Smith, co-founder of Craggy Range and the first viticulturist in the world to attain the title of Master of Wine, and Brian Sheth, a Forbes billionaire and Chairman of Global Wildlife Conservation, in Austin, Texas.  The concept of their company is based upon the model of the French negociant, a wine merchant and purveyor who buys grapes or finished wines, bottles then and sells under their label.  Smith and Sheth source grapes from growers as well as their  Pyramid Valley Vineyard in North Canterbury and Lowburn Ferry Vineyard in Central Otago.