If you haven’t yet tasted a wine from the 2019 calendar year, this would certainly be a good place to start. Priced at $30, it might make you consider buying two bottles of a big production Sauvignon from Marlborough instead. However, don’t make that mistake, as it would cost you an opportunity to learn what the most skillful Kiwis can do with this variety near the southerly tip of New Zealand’s South Island. This is notably more concentrated than the mass market Sauvignon’s from Marlborough, and also notably lower in residual sugar, resulting in very exciting interplay between the wine’s substance and its extremely vibrant acidity. Pair this now with raw oysters for a supremely exciting wine-and-food combination, or hold onto this for a couple of years to let the aromas gain complexity as the acidity relaxes.
Peregrine, Central Otago (New Zealand) Sauvignon Blanc 2019
By Michael Franz