Matua Sauvingon Blanc 2016
I unabashedly love New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. New Zealand is very far away and I keep putting off visiting. Partially because my friend Roy, who’s been after me for years to visit him in Australia, would be not happy. But also…what if I didn’t want to leave?! I mean, I would have to leave at some point because visa issues. Also my cat. I could happily drink New Zealand Sauvingon Blanc forever though.
Having already exhausted all the NZ Sauvignon Blanc in Turkey, this little beauty I picked up in the Duty Free shop at Amsterdam’s
Schiphol Airport. If I recall, I bought one on the way from Istanbul to Michigan, and another on the way back! It was that nice. Also, not going to lie, loved the label.
Matua began with brothers Bill and Ross Spence. They began planting vines in Auckland in the mid 1960s. One of the most promising grapes they planted…Sauvignon Blanc. By the mid 1970s they were producing small batches of wine commercially and became one of the first Sauvignon Blanc producers in New Zealand. Now Matua produces a lot more than 400 bottles a year. The winery moved to Marlborough but the company retained the vines in Auckland as well as vines in Hawke’s Bay (and of course also Marlborough).
Matua Sauvignon Blanc 2016 Tasting Notes
From Marlborough’s Wairu Valley, the Matua Sauvignon Blanc comes from the winery’s Lands & Legends series. For these wines they select the most expressive parcels so the resulting wines can tell the story of that region.
The wine I had was a brilliant, start bright lemon with no hints of green. Tropical and green the nose unfolded aromas of freshly cut herbs and grass, grilled pineapple, and stone.
Singing acid greeted me with the first sip (and however many other sips it took to finish the bottle!). Flavors of herb and tropical fruits fulfilled the promise made by the aromas and carried to a lovely lingering finish. Medium light bodied with 13% abv, the Matua was a crisp and beautiful wine that not only reflected where it came from but was also worthy of that fabulous label.