Wine of the week: a glorious Kiwi savvy

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

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 has been the MoneyWeek wine correspondent since 2006.

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

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.