Appellation Marlborough Wine (AMW) has released its Annual Collection for 2025. First launched in 2022, the initiative celebrates a benchmark selection of certified Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc that showcases the diversity, quality, and authenticity that define the region.
Ninety-three AMW Certified wines were tasted blind over an intensive eight-hour session by a panel featuring New Zealand judges Stephen Wong MW and Cameron Douglas MS; who were joined by Australia’s Toni Paterson MW.
Michael Wentworth, CEO of AMW, says, “The panel’s collective expertise mirrors the rigour of our certification process; through robust discussion and careful deliberation they have identified the twelve wines that best represent our benchmark, across our diverse sub-regions and styles”
The selection also includes four wines from previous vintages: “including two from the intensely concentrated 2024 vintage and two long-aged styles from 2023. This crucial part of the Marlborough story highlights the depth and diversity of Sauvignon Blanc when made with ageability in mind.”
Michael Wentworth, adds that the Collection continues to highlight that AMW members meet the highest standards of origin, quality, integrity, and sustainability through the certification process.
“Marlborough’s standing rests on an intensity and quality unique to this place. The AMW mark assures consumers that what they open is the true, provenance-driven expression of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, and the twelve wines in the Annual Collection demonstrate that without compromise.”
In the next couple of weeks, you can look forward to reading an article where I have an in-depth chat with Michael Wentworth about his role with AMW and the way forward for Marlborough fine wines. For now, here are my notes after tasting through the wines included in this years collection:
Blank Canvas Holdaway Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2025
Aromas of blackcurrant, passionfruit, apple, jalapeno, crushed herbs and boxwood rise from the glass. A very saline acidity gives vibrancy and energy – lending a real tang and brightness. The slatey minerality makes it look quite Chablis-like and would lean it towards being a great match for a plate of oysters. The palate is bone dry, salty and seedy. It does have richness and weight through the palate too, and a long, well-balanced finish.
Clos Henri Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2025
A slightly european expression of this varietal. A zing of citrus, with white pepper, crushed shell, white peach and cardamom. Bone dry, underlined with brisk acidity and with plenty of lees-influenced texture to balance out the palate with a nice depth and rotundity. Richer as you go, with pineapple, peach and guava cropping up before you dive into a herbal, spicy finish with great length.
Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2025
Largely drawn from vineyards on the Wairau Valley floor, the blend uses a small portion of wine fermented in oak and/or using wild yeasts. A signature Marlborough bouquet is bold and inviting, with lime, mandarin, peach, capsicum and floral notes of lemon blossom and elderflower. Layered and complex through the palate, with a distinct linearity and a bite from the acidity. Clean, fresh, compelling at the finish.
Cloudy Bay Te Koko Sauvignon Blanc 2023
Rightly considered to be one of New Zealand’s great white wines, with a reputation of ageing gracefully. It needs a good swirl of air – or, preferably, decanting to really unfurl this youthful drop. Tightly coiled initially, and citrus notes dominate – punctuated by more tropical flavours of nectarine and melon. In layers, there is a touch of sage smoke, chamomile, then granite chips and salted cashews. Drinks well now, but cellar for a decade or more.
Greywacke Wild Sauvignon 2023
A wine that the Judd family at Greywacke will often offer as ‘Archive Release’ wines with many years of extra age in bottle. Such is the style that this barrel-fermented (in old oak) is heading for – ageability and grace. This current-release 2023 has depth, silky phenolics and plush, rounded textures. Savoury notes mix with the lush fruit – ginger, oyster shell, coconut and yuzu – and conclude in a finish of breadth and persistence.
Holdaway Estate Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2025
A single vineyard from the Dillons Point sub-region to the east of Blenheim. A voluminous yet quite precise (and classic) perfume shows whitecurrant, grapefruit, passionfruit, gooseberry and lemongrass. Driven by an intense acidity that is saline and tart, giving a clear line through the palate. Hints of seashell and wet stone creep around the edge, and a softer, crème fraiche texture swoops through at the back of the palate.
ROHE Blind River Sauvignon Blanc by Rapaura Springs 2025
A punchy, aromatic bouquet with grapefruit, blackcurrant, lemongrass, white pepper, mandarin and passionfruit. Bright and crunchy, with citrus zest and plenty of lip-smacking juicy fruit. There’s a salinity to the acidity that drives the palate – clean, dry and energetic. A smoother, broader texture as well as a line of stony minerality adding depth and interest. The finish has good length and brings the elements together nicely.
ROHE Rapaura Sauvignon Blanc by Rapaura Springs 2025
The nose shows passionfruit, blackcurrant, crushed herbs, gooseberry, verbena and lemon. A crisp acidity highlights the fruit and there is some heft and depth through the palate. A touch of savoury and mineral shows in a peppery, stony layer before a mouth-watering, well-balanced finish. I can tell you from experience that this wine will continue to evolve for a few years in your cellar.
Tapi Sauvignon Blanc 2025
From the Central Wairau Valley and Rapaura sub-regions – this is bottle perhaps expresses the ‘classic Marlborough flavour profile’ that Stephen Wong referred to in his notes. Gooseberry, pea pod, passionfruit, tomato leaf, blackcurrant and capsicum aromas are reflected in the plate, which breezes through on a wave of pithy acidity. A touch of pepper and boxwood later on, before a finish that is juicy, chalky and leaves you wanting another sip.
te Pā Sauvignon Blanc Oke 2024
A mixture of fruit from the Awatere Valley and the Lower Wairau Valley. A barrel-fermented style with smoky oak aromas sitting on top of white peach, apple, grapefruit, lemon and baking spice. The palate reflects the nose, but the fruit is front and centre – the piquant acidity and oak just adding a frame. A creamy texture adds more depth and there is an opulence and weight to the long finish.
The Paper Nautilus Sauvignon Blanc 2024
From some of the oldest vines in their Renwick vineyard, with the fermentation taking place in an older Oak Cuve. Perfumed with green apple, blackcurrant, green herbs, hazelnut, lemon, greengage and honeysuckle florals. There is a waxy texture apparent immediately on the palate, with a length and concentration that is quite rounded and fleshy. More citrus as you dive in, with pithy zest and a line of stony minerality adding complexity. Good persistence too on the finish.
Whitehaven Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2025
Hailing from sites across Marlborough – this is a multi-layered, classic example of the Marlborough style renowned across the globe. Passionfruit, gooseberry, melon, lemon peel, mandarin and green notes of tarragon and nettle. Clean, precise and with good attack into the palate, where a wave of acidity swings the flavours along. Herbaceous green tones slide in through the lush fruit and carry to a fresh, dry finish.
