Sauvignon Blanc, Featherdrop,

Tasting notes: zesty, fresh, aromatic, gooseberry, tomato leaves, vibrant, youthful.

2022 was a very good year in New Zealand. Both spring and early summer were mild and warm seeing few major weather hazards and, as a result, both budburst and flowering were a success. Late summer, however, brought unusually cool temperatures and some heavy rain, which raised the risk of both disease and rot, as well as stalling the ripening process.

Fortunately, however, conditions dried up for most regions in the nick of time to pave the way for a successful harvest. Warm, clear days helped dry the grapes out as well as pushed them to phenolic ripeness, while cool nights helped retain both essential acidity and aromatics within the fruit. Central Otago, in particular, saw long spates of hot, dry weather.

A larger vintage than the previous year, 2022 is looking good.

Marlborough

Situated at the northeastern tip of the South Island, this dry, sunny region is home to more than 500 growers and produces more than three-quarters of all New Zealand wine.

Vineyard area exceeds 27,800 hectares . This equates to around two-thirds of the national total. 

Sauvignon Blanc accounts for over 80 percent of vineyard surface area and more than 85 percent of regional production. The variety exploded onto the world wine scene in the 1980s and 1990s, to the rapture of wine critics and consumers around the globe.

The wine is noted for its relative lack of subtlety, its intense flavors of green pepper and gooseberry, and a character that has been famously described as "cat's pee on a gooseberry bush"

Lees aging and other techniques can make a subtle difference. Oak-aged examples can be found, and are more clearly defined from the archetypal style, though not common.

There are few New World wine regions so closely associated with a single grape variety as Marlborough is with Sauvignon Blanc

(Wine searcher)