Kim Crawford, Marlborough (New Zealand) Sauvignon Blanc 2024 ($16)

To say that this is a “crowd pleaser” is to belabor the obvious—given the commercial success of this wine. Yet, there’s a reason for its popularity that squares with a high estimation of quality, namely, excellent balance and interplay between zesty citrus fruit notes and notable sweetness. I suppose there are wine snobs out there who look down on this style, but they can’t do so while also praising German Riesling Kabinett wines, and they couldn’t pass a polygraph test when denying they would like to have a financial stake in this.
91 Michael Franz