Stoneleigh Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc – Lovely

100% Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand.

SRP of $15 and available for $11.99 at Costco. Sample received courtesy Pernod Ricard for review purposes.

From the bottle:

“Smooth stones characterize the Stoneleigh vineyards in Marlborough. By day, these stones reflect heat to enhance ripening, while the cool night air captures crisp fruit flavors. Free-draining, stony soils, high sunshine hours and the cool coastal climate create a distinctive range of intensely flavored wines.

Winemaker’s comments: This full-flavoured Marlborough wine displays a vibrant bouquet of passionfruit and grapefruit, with overlying tropical notes. The palate adds a burst of ripe passionfruit, balanced by a fresh citrus zest. — Jamie Marfell, Winemaker

Serving suggestions: Serve lightly chilled on its own or with white meat or seafood dishes accompanied with a fruit salsa.

12.5% Alcohol”

New Zealand is probably best known in the wine world for Sauvignon Blanc and it is with good reason. Many critics believe the Marlborough region produces the finest Sauvignon Blanc in the world and lucky for us, much of it can still be found for under $20. Today’s wine comes from Stoneleigh, whose vineyards lie in shallow rock and gravel soils. Sounds like a challenging spot to grow grapes, but that’s exactly the point as these unique conditions impart unique (and delicious) characteristics to the grapes.

The 2011 Stoneleigh Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc begins with a very enticing aroma of grapefruit, pineapple and other tropical fruit along with a nice straw and light vegetal component. It only takes one sniff to know this one is going to be good. The wine tastes really quite lovely with delicious and juicy peach, pineapple and nectarine flavors. Perfectly sweet and tart with a nice lively texture, good acidity and minerality, this is quite a delicious wine.

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