It is not everyday that I will select a foreign wine for a tasting over our own South African produce, but out of interest I picked the Lawson’s Dry Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2010 from Marlborough, New Zealand.
Lawson’s Dry Hills was founded by Ross and Barbara Lawson in 1992 after growing their own grapes on their Alabama Road Vineyards from 1980.
Starting with Gewürztraminer, Lawson’s Dry Hills soon expanded and now also make some fantastic Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir.
It is also interesting to note, that Ross Lawson was one of the pioneers of introducing screw cap wines to the industry, by founding and establishing the “Screwcap Closure Initiative”
Our philosophy is a simple one – To produce premium Marlborough wines of great character, quality and varietal expression.
The Wine:
I always held the impression that New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs were green, reductive and steely. The Lawson’s Dry Hills was all that, however amongst the green characters the wine also contains loads of passion fruit, gooseberries and granny smith apples, which made it complex and intriguing.
The Sauvignon Blanc grapes has been sourced from 7 different vineyards all situated in the Marlborough wine growing valleys, each one with its own micro climate and character and 7.5% of the wine in French oak barrels for complexity.
The Stats:
Alcohol: 13.5 %
pH: 3.22
Residual Sugar: 3.0 g/L
Total Acidity: 7.4g/L
The Verdict:
I found this to be an interesting Sauvignon Blanc which surprised and challenged me to change what I normally would have perceived Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc would taste like. It is a delightful wine and was loved by all the other tasters.
This wine comes recommended, which I will consider a great price for a great wine… however at R159.00 a bottle for this Sauvignon Blanc, you could also buy South Africa’s premium Sauvignon’s… the choice is yours…
Check them out here:
Buy the wine in South Africa here:
info@phdwines.co.za or phone Angelique on 021 881 3895
Stay tuned for more tastings on New Zealand wines…
Wine on the Blog 