A blind tasting of 10 assorted whites
This was a blind tasting of 10 assorted white wines. Notes and scores as written, supplemented with some information after the reveal. The zero alcohol wine was quite obvious because it didn’t taste like wine. It’s an important category, but it’s so hard to replace the flavour hole left by taking out alcohol. The La Rosa disappointed. Dourthe’s Sauvignon had aged really well. The two New Zealand Sauvignons show why they are two of the most highly regarded producers in Marlborough. The cheap South African tasted cheap. The Pessac was really high quality and the dry Furmint from Tokaji had aged really nicely. Always fun to taste blind, but also quite difficult with some wines.
1 Wolf Blass Zero Sauvignon Blanc NV Australia
This is fruity and bright but has a big hole in the mid-palate. There’s some nice fruity character and a bit of exoticism, but it’s a bit weird. Tastes non-alcoholic. It’s not horrible, but it’s odd. NR
2 Quinta La Rosa Douro Reserva 2019 Douro, Portugal (half bottle)
Fermented in barrique. Bright, lemony and fruity with some nice weight on the mid-palate. It’s quite pretty, with some mandarin notes and a touch of peach. Juicy and fruity, showing some rounded character and richness. Finishes with a touch of caramel. 85/100
3 Dourthe La Grande Cuvée Sauvignon Blanc 2015 Bordeaux, France
Full yellow gold colour. Powerful, vivid and fresh with nice citrus fruit, a touch of apricot, and then a nice acid line. Has some brightness with a stony detail. Vivid, full and expressive with lovely fruit intensity. This is really good. 93/100
4 Dogpoint Sauvignon Blanc 2024 Marlborough, New Zealand
Smoky, mineral nose with nice reduction. Bright palate with lovely fruit showing nice freshness, bright elderflower and peach and citrus fruit, with subtle green notes. This is explosive and complex with amazing depth and precision, allied to richness. The mineral character is so lovely. 94/100
5 Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc 2024 Marlborough, New Zealand
Powerful and lively with pear, grapefruit and peach as well as some good acidity. Bold and full flavoured, but also really fresh. There’s a beautiful expanding finish, where it goes from fruity and bold to tapering with a citrus frill that keeps on growing in the mouth, and then leaves some green tomato leaf notes. This is really good. 94/100
6 Domaine Saint Cels Combe Longue Saint-Chinian Blanc 2020 France
Yellow/gold colour. Fresh and fruity with nice citrus fruit, but also some rich pear and peach fruit, showing nice brightness and focus as well as some richer toasty notes in the background. Some development here. 89/100
7 Le Mont Terre Cuvée du Cap Sauvignon Blanc 2024 Western Cape, South Africa
Bright, fresh and fruity with some mandarin and citrus. Youthful and simple, with a hint of cabbage in the background. Some jelly-like notes. There’s pear and citrus on the palate. It’s perfectly okay, but not interesting. 83/100 (this was £3.99 in Aldi)
8 Mouchão Verdelho 2023 Alentejo, Portugal
Yellow colour. Bold with a stony edge to the pear and white peach fruit. Bright with good acid, and some lemony detail. Has a slight savoury character. This is compact and shows good concentration, with some richness to the fruit, but also restraint. Intriguing. 92/100
9 Royal Tokaji Furmint 2007 Tokaji, Hungary
14.5% alcohol. Rich gold in colour. This is bold and broad with honey, toast and spice, showing lovely development. There’s some apricot and peach, as well some waxy savouriness. Bold and concentrated with nice intensity. So interesting! 93/100
10 Château de Rochemorin 2019 Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux, France
Bright and lively with some lemon and mandarin, showing some juiciness and a mineral twist. Crystalline and fruit-driven with nice presence. Stylish and showing some nice personality, with a fresh, long finish. 92/100
