The single vineyard SB’s of Villa Maria tend good, but their Reserves, both the Wairau and Clifford Bay and tend to be excellent. I didn’t mention them because I thought they were of very limited availability.
Auntsfield’s SV is nice, too.
Sineann
Cloudy Bay Te Koko is a great example of next-level NZ SauvBlanc. You can easily age these 10+ years, as mentioned on their site. Expect to pay $75 here in the states.
The OP did say $200 per bottle…
Peter and others have mentioned many good examples. Worth noting that the founders of both Greywacke & Dog Point were Cloudy Bay alumni so they know what they are doing. The Dog Point Section 94 and Greywacke Wild are favourites of mine but are very different from mainstream styles with wild yeast ferments, barrel ferment and aging, etc so are much more in the textural and rich end of the spectrum. In that genre a Zephyr Mark III (in NZ a Mk III Zephyr was also a car that many would recognize) tried recently was also full of interest. In the more classically styled SB’s the Dog Point remains one of my top picks and the Saint Clair Wairau Reserve is another with real intensity of flavour year in, year out. I haven’t tried the most recent vintage of Cloudy Bay, but an '18 tasted a few weeks back was very smart: still probably the most recognized label internationally.
Jonathan, where are you located? Asking because I don’t know that I ever see any “high-end” NZ SB here in Chicago. I know I’ve seen Cloudy Bay and Greywacke, but nothing high-end from them here - wines just generally in the $20-30 range. Maybe someone knows of a shop in Chicago that has a better selection of NZ wines. We were in NZ about five years ago and tasted some spectacular wines that I knew I had never seen in local shops. Would love to find some here.
My wife and I spent ~10 days on the Southern Island really liked our time in Central Otago and we were given these two resources for shipping a variety of NZ wines back to the US:
https://nzwineexportau.com/ (they used to have an App too in the iOS store and now it seems gone)
Interestingly enough - $50 NZD is the most expensive SB on any of these sites
The second one used to ship to the USA - I dont see that as an option anymore but that just may be a COVID thing with less shipping happening and the prices just got too high? I remember a case to the East Coast was somewhere close to $150/$200 just in shipping costs so I never pulled the trigger and just hunt for some decent local finds at 1-2 shops when they pop up. The first link was quoting me 219 NZD to ship a case to NJ (about $150 USD). So for a bit more than $10/bottle you can get a nice variety shipped to you.
Not sure about how they age but I have enjoyed Loveblock, which I believe is the winery Kim Crawford after selling his namesake brand to Constellation.
And I’d second Cloudy Bay for the all the reasons above.
Thanks everyone. I can source some older vintages of Te Koko, and looks like that’ll be the one.
Any vintage preferences between 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013?
NYC here, so I’m able to source quite a bit. Back vintages of Te Koko are $50-$70, 2015 Greywacke Wild is $33
Long ago, I had several terrific white wines from Dry River. I’m pretty sure that one of them was a Sauvignon Blanc, but they seem to be focused on other white varieties these days. I’d love to find some in the US, if anyone in this thread has a lead.
Winesearcher says last time they found it available was 2016, FWIW. I don’t even know where to start given that.
Per Cellar Tracker, 2015 is the favorite of those vintages.
Shipping a case to NJ was about $150 when I looked. Though expensive, some CA/OR wineries and stores want $50-$80 to ship a case from CA to NJ, so NZ to NJ for 2-3x the price doesn’t seem absurd.
Thanks, Eric. This is a very interesting option.
Jonathan – this is just one person’s opinion. I really like Te Koko and it is probably the most expensive NZ SB that I have seen, but I did not mention it in my original post because I am not sure that someone that loves the traditional style of NZ SB will like it. It is much more oak driven (IMO) than even the Greywacke Wild which I think is more reductive and textural with more mineral notes than the regular Greywacke (which is a fantastic version of the traditional NZ SB), but also still relatively consistent with what I recognize as the NZ SB flavor profile. I would never pick Te Koko out as a NZ SB in a blind tasting. As I reflect, I suppose the Te Koko is not that much different than the Pinot Noirs I recommended above in that it is different than what it sounds like your friend likes. I might get them a Greywacke or Dog Point (or Cloudy Bay) and then pick another wine from the region (like a Te Koko) as an additional nod to the region they like (if not the style). Just a thought.
As it relates to Cloudy Bay’s regular cuvee, I have been a long-time fan, but I do agree with another above poster that there is more variation in quality between vintages than Greywacke or Dog Point. I have never been disappointed by either of those, but I have been less then thrilled with a couple (out of many) Cloudy Bay vintages.
Regardless, it is the thought that counts and I am sure you will nail that either way.
Wise words Ravi. I have never had so many bottles returned as I have of the Dog Point S94. It’s an excellent wine, and despite warning people when they order it, that’s it’s not typical SB flavour profiles, nevertheless it is often met with complete disdain. Haven’t had the Te Koko for many years, but if it’s anything like the s94, it is worth the warning!
I happened to run across the 2019 Dog Point the other day in the shop. Not something I would normally pick up, but this thread inspired me to give it a try. I don’t think I’ve ever had such a difference in my enjoyment between nose and palate! To me, the nose stinks of green pepper juice and cat urine. Bleh! There’s some nice citrus behind there, but mostly it feels like I’ve got my nose is a litter box!
Somehow, I brought myself to take a sip and the flavor is surprisingly really nice and enjoyable- vaguely sweet, lemon, a bit of unripe pineapple, a touch of creaminess but with a core of strong acidity. So well integrated. Really nice palate, to my surprise.
Not sure what to make of this… I am very sensitive to those pyrazines, so I usually shy away from NZ Sauv Blanc, but this tastes so good I might go for a bottle of the 2020 Cloudy Bay which I hear is very nice. Maybe I’ll just hold my nose!
Tinpot Hut was one of my favorites NZ SBs when I lived in the UK. Good stuff.