Echo Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2019
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One of our favorite global winemakers is Nick Goldschmidt, who really gets this variety. From the entry to the mid-palate and finish, tropical fruit abounds, as does a perfume of ripe pineapple and lemon verbena. Anointed by star fruit, the palate is crisp, tart, and refreshing, with acidity-driven energy and flavors of sage and dill that tickle the tongue.A truly great value.
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When a grape and a place come together perfectly, what unfolds in the glass is magic. We’ve been growing Sauvignon Blanc on New Zealand’s South Island long enough to know it’s not exactly magic—it’s a force of nature. Echo Bay Sauvignon Blanc comes from the Rapaura region—the very heart of Marlborough’s Golden Mile—where stony soils and brilliant sunshine bring this grape variety to the pinnacle of its expression. Guided by legendary global winemaker and New Zealand native Nick Goldschmidt, we craft a Sauvignon Blanc that is bright, crisp and purely Marlborough. Proudly certified by Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand, ours is the only New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc to earn Wine Spectator’s coveted “Top Value” designation back-to-back for two consecutive vintages.
Our grapes were hand-selected from Marlborough’s premier vineyards, where sea breezes and a long, cool growing season allow the fruit to develop complexity and exceptional acidity. To preserve our Sauvignon Blanc’s delicate fragrance and flavors, winemakers gently cold-ferment the grapes in stainless steel, then secure each bottle with a convenient screwcap, ensuring each glass is as pure and fresh as the first.
With bright, pure flavors and a fun-loving personality, every glass of our dazzling Sauvignon Blanc echoes the spectacular natural beauty of New Zealand’s South Island. Zesty citrus aromas lead to layers of passionfruit, grapefruit and gooseberry flavors, followed by a clean, refreshing finish. It’s exquisite on its own or paired with lighter fare.
Capable of a vast array of styles, Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp, refreshing variety that equally reflects both terroir and varietal character. Though it can vary depending on where it is grown, a couple of commonalities always exist—namely, zesty acidity and intense aromatics. This variety is of French provenance. Somm Secret—Along with Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc is a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon. That green bell pepper aroma that all three varieties share is no coincidence—it comes from a high concentration of pyrazines (herbaceous aromatic compounds) inherent to each member of the family.
An icon and leading region of New Zealand's distinctive style of Sauvignon blanc, Marlborough has a unique terroir, making it ideal for high quality grape production (of many varieties). Despite some common generalizations, which could be fairly justified given that Marlborough is responsible for 90% of New Zealand's Sauvignon blanc production, the wines from this region are actually anything but homogenous. At the northern tip of New Zealand’s South Island, the vineyards of Marlborough benefit from well-draining, stony soils, a dry, sunny climate and wide temperature fluctuations between day and night, a phenomenon that supports a perfect balance between berry ripeness and acidity.
The region’s king variety, Sauvignon blanc, is beloved for its pungent, aromatic character with notes of exotic tropical fruit, freshly cut grass and green bell pepper along with a refreshing streak of stony minerality. These wines are made in a wide range of styles, and winemakers take advantage of various clones, vineyard sites, fermentation styles, lees-stirring and aging regimens to differentiate their bottlings, one from one another.
Also produced successfully here are fruit-forward Pinot noirs (especially where soils are clay-rich), elegant Riesling, Pinot gris and Gewürztraminer.