A glorious Kiwi sauvignon blanc

2017 Astrolabe Sauvignon Blanc This New Zealand sauvignon blanc harks back to the old-style, fine wines of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé .

Matthew Jukes
By
published
in Features

913_MW_P41_Wine

2017 Astrolabe ProvinceMarlboroughSauvignon Blanc, New Zealand £16.70, ArmitWines.co.uk

I first met winemaker Simon Waghorn over a decade ago when I was judging wines in New Zealand. A quietly spoken yet impressive figure, I had yet to come across his wines, so I decided to look them up while on tour and I was moved by every single bottle. Astrolabe has been in the UK for a while, stealthily infiltrating our palates with measured, mineral-soaked wines.

This is not a high street Kiwi savvy. Far from it, because Simon's wines are all about restraint and composure. This wine does not bash you over the proboscis with a bowl of tropical fruit, nor does it deliver more sugar than a bag of pick n' mix. This respectful style of sauvignon blanc harks back to the old-style, fine wines of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fum and it does it with a degree of flair and considerable understanding.

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The 2016-2017 growing season was relatively warm for Marlborough, with heavy rainfall that increased the size of the grapes. This led to more thiol aromas and minimised methoxypyrazines. In common parlance, this means there is more grapefruit and gooseberry, and less sweat or green pepper notes. Subtle and controlled, with peashoot, citrus and jasmine, this is a stunning wine. My SB-hating neighbour popped when I was tasting this wine and I poured him a sip "Glorious" was his very first word!

Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year (MatthewJukes.com).

Matthew Jukes
Matthew Jukes

Matthew Jukes has worked in the UK wine business for well over three decades and during this time has written 14 wine books.  

Matthew regularly lectures, judges, speaks at wine conferences and runs masterclass tastings for both corporate and private clients all over the world. Matthew is also the creator of his ground-breaking initiative, the One Day Wine School, an indulgent day of tasting and learning first performed in 2006.

He has been the MoneyWeek wine correspondent since 2006 and has written a weekly column for the Daily Mail’s Weekend Magazine since 1999. His four highly-acclaimed, annual wine reports – the Burgundy En Primeur Report, the Bordeaux En Primeur Report, the Piemonte Report and the 100 Best Australian Wines – are published on his website, www.matthewjukes.com.

Matthew is one of the world’s leading experts on Australian wine and, with Brisbane-based wine writer Tyson Stelzer, runs an annual competition in Australia to find ‘The Great Australian Red’.  He was made Honorary Australian of the Year in the UK at the 2012 Australia Day Foundation Gala dinner. 

Matthew is a winner of the International Wine and Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year Trophy.  His thoughts, recommendations and tastings notes are followed very closely by the wine world at large.

 

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