Highlights: Yealands Sauvignon Blanc 2021 Marlborough, New Zealand
I’ve tried my first wine from 2021! I saw this in Sainsbury’s and was curious, so I bought it and now I’m trying it. It comes from Yealands, who have a huge 1000 hectare vineyard at the coastal end of the Awatere Valley, and supplement this with some vineyards in the Wairau Valley and further up the Awatere. They make really good wines, and perhaps haven’t got the praise they deserve in the UK.
A few things to note about this wine. It’s bulk shipped and bottled in the UK, which improves its carbon footprint. It’s a bargain at just £7, which is good for consumers but perhaps not so good for the producer: Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc used to cost £7 20 years ago, if I recall correctly. [I realise the list price is higher, but supermarkets tend to always have one big-brand Marlborough Sauvignon discounted, so I’m guessing most sales happen at the promoted price.] And this is a good one: not something made from hoovered up over-contract-yield or rejected fruit.
Yealands Sauvignon Blanc 2021 Marlborough, New Zealand
13% alcohol
£7 Sainsbury’s
This is vivid, exotic and delicious, with lovely passionfruit and lime aromas and flavours, supplemented with some grapefruit, a touch of green pepper and also some aromatic tomato leaf notes. There’s a nice tension between the ripe exotic aromas and the biting acidity on the palate, which gives the wine a mouthwatering quality. Vivid, striking and immediate, this is a great example of the Marlborough style at a good price. 90/100
