A Jigger of Blog

I’ll hopefully be traveling to New Zealand at the end of this year or early next, so I’m trying to become more familiar with New Zealand wines. I recently tasted the Stoneleigh Sauvignon Blanc 2011. Stoneleigh is in the northern Marlborough region and has fairly good availability around the United States.

The 2011 Sauvignon Blanc is almost clear with light yellow hints. On the nose is strawberry, honey, hay and green apple.

The first impression is of tart apple, with a lot of minerality and touches of passion fruit. It finishes with a sweet tanginess and good mouthfeel.

The Sauvignon Blanc is crisp to the point of light effervescence. It’s a touch sour, but otherwise has good balance with interesting tropical notes.

Depending on where you are, this wine retails for $15-20. At this price point it’s a very good deal. It’s pretty much what I look for in a Sauvignon Blanc, with many layers and notes that you just can’t find in most wines that are at the lower end of its price range. I liked it so much that I’m actually going to be serving it at my wedding later this month, so if that doesn’t work as a positive review, I’m not sure what will.

Disclosure: This post was made possible because I received a free bottles of Stoneleigh Sauvignon Blanc for the purposes of sample and review.