Welcome to the Top 10 Tasting of Sauvignon Blanc – the last time I did this varietal was around two and a half years ago – so we’re definitely due an update!
It is the most important varietal in the country – certainly in terms of wine production, and since Sauvignon Blanc makes up around three quarters of New Zealand’s output – it is important that critics like myself keep a very close eye on what is about. With wine exports now worth over $2billion, the varietal also now makes up the lion’s share of that, as more plantings of the grape dominate the vineyard landscape to satisfy the world’s thirst for it.
The success is down to a unique style. Sauvignon Blanc – from Marlborough in particular – doesn’t taste the same as it does in the rest of the world. So much so that many ‘lookalikes’ have cropped up as other places cotton on to what the public wants. Appellation Marlborough Wine (AMW) have been making great strides in terms of safeguarding what qualifies as ‘authentic’ Marlborough wine. You can read an article about this here > https://winefolio.co.nz/?p=13658 – where I chat to the CEO.
That identifiable style has led to a desire for “New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc” across the globe – whether it comes from the specific area of Marlborough, or not. I’m not convinced that your average drinker of Sauvignon makes that much distinction between one of our wine-producing regions or another. When they drink a “New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc” what they probably expect is that distinctive blast of grassy, fresh green herbal that Marlborough delivers. As this session proved – Marlborough is undoubtedly the powerhouse… but you’ll see that a high quality outsider sneaked into the list from Hawke’s Bay.
I say that the consumer might not discern a difference from one region to another – but I certainly looked at a range of styles across this tasting. There’s only a couple in the list that stray from the tank-fermented expression, but there were more than that in the overall collection of boxes that arrived. I just pick the wines that show their best on the day. I’m not after a ‘range of styles’ to complete the list. If the ten best wines on the day were from a single producer, or were one particular style… then so be it.
Some of the wines I have tried before, but, as with almost any tasting like this, there are usually newcomers. The winner of that tasting back in March 2023 featured on the list again this year (The Raptor from Lake Chalice), and it is likely that many of the wines you’ll find reviews for somewhere on the WineFolio website. I judged at the New Zealand International Wine Show this year and the white classes seemed particularly strong. Some of the wines on this list had great results at that Show too. I would judge ALL of the wines in this list to be Gold medal standard.
Anyway – onto the wines…
The winner – #1 Catalina Sounds Sauvignon Blanc 2024
Unknown to us (all wines are served blind), this wine also won the 2025 London Wine Competition award of Sauvignon Blanc of the Year! The bouquet here is pure Marlborough Sauvignon, with a twist. Yes, there are lots of ‘green’ notes – apple, lime and greengage, but also some nectarine, lemongrass, fennel and passionfruit. Dry, with a bristling acidity that verges on salty giving freshness and drive through the palate. Bright and juicy at first, it is then quite direct and linear, with just a touch of minerality before a mile-long persistence to the finish.
This is what the maker of the winning wine – Matthew Ward had to say about the Catalina Sounds Sauvignon Blanc: “From a seasonal perspective, 2024 was truly remarkable; a dry, hot summer was complimented with low yields across all of our estate and grower vineyards. Small, pristine bunches, packed with flavour and concentration, have delivered exceptional wines where quality is the driving factor. Small yields and plenty of sunshine resulted in a compact harvest, where everything came into the winery within two and a half weeks.
Our 2024 Catalina Sounds Sauvignon Blanc is sourced from our estate in the Waihopai Valley, Sound of White (35% of the blend), and a handful of long-term grower vineyards in the Southern and Wairau valleys – with emphasis on southern valleys contributing to 60% of the final wine. This is intentional – to create a wine that has the aromatic hallmarks of classic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, with fresh acidity, and a small portion of large format oak that adds nuance to the palate and the ‘terroir’ of the southern valleys bringing restraint and textural elements to the wine”.
#2 ROHE Dillons Point Sauvignon Blanc by Rapaura Springs 2025
From a series of wines that showcase Marlborough’s sub-regions – Dillons Point is located near the Marlborough coast, where the Wairau and Opaoa rivers meet. Intensely perfumed, with blackcurrant, passionfruit, bay leaf, lemon peel, gooseberry and lime cordial. Ripe and plush with fruit that is balanced by a busy rush of acidity, leaving the palate mouth-watering and bursting with energy. A line of herbal flavours comes creeping into the back of the palate, before a finish with great pesistence.
#3 Ahi Kā Sauvignon Blanc 2024
Another wine from Dillons Point in Marlborough. Whitecurrant flavours set the tone, with familiar passionfruit and gooseberry following, then tomato leaf, jalapeño, apple and lemon. A well-balanced example, that delivers a hit of acidity at first, then chalky minerality… and watch how the fruit flavours turn more tropical mid-palate – melon, pineapple and guava. Clean, precise and elegant. Once that initial burst subsides, it is a wine that delivers on many fronts and is one to share with people around the table.
#4 Elephant Hill ‘Sea’ Sauvignon Blanc 2024
A wine from the Te Awanga coast in Hawke’s Bay that, as well as regional difference, presents an alternate expression to the majority of entries in the Top 10 Tasting. Aromas of lime, white peach, grapefruit and granny smith apples meet a touch of almond and white pepper. A distinctive jellybean note hints at “a european influence in style” according to the comments, and it is in fact 100% barrel fermented. Acidity is restrained and it allows other factors to shine – there is a nibble of phenolic, that barrel toast, and a clean, limey pithyness throughout. Great character, with a dry, lengthy finish.
#5 Lake Chalice ‘The Raptor’ Sauvignon Blanc 2024
Our winner from the last time there was a Top 10 tasting of this varietal. I’m amazed to say… it is a wine from Dillons Point in Marlborough! A classic Marlborough-style in the expression that has taken the world by storm. “The aromas leap from the glass” we wrote – with blackcurrant, gooseberry, lime, verbena, capsicum and tomato leaf. Exhuberantly energetic, it bounces through the palate with sharp acidity up high and a stony minerality underneath. A super-long finish awaits too.
#6 Blank Canvas ‘Holdaway Vineyard’ Sauvignon Blanc 2025
This Marlborough wine takes fruit from the eastern Wairau Valley, in the coastal sub-region of (I’ll let you guess)…Dillons Point. Alongside some signature Marlborough flavours of passionfruit and white currant and pink grapefruit, there is something that has hints of Chablis in the dry minerality and salty acidity as well. “Love the acidity and ‘seed’ tones through the palate” appear in the tasting notes. Some richness and depth are also a feature, before a finish that carries for some distance – pithy and dry.
#7 Wairau River Sauvignon Blanc 2025
This might be a humble ‘estate’ level wine – they do a ‘Reserve’ as well – but it did win a coveted ‘Double Gold’ Medal at NZIWS this year – and it’s not from Dillons Point! Crushed herbs, gooseberry, boxwood, guava, white peach and lemon in a “character-filled but still very varietally-pure bouquet” we thought. The quintessential Marlborough flavour profile. The acidity is crisp and fresh, with a real zing through the palate, which lifts the fruit flavours nicely. The finish is juicy with a hint of pepper.
#8 Villa Maria Reserve Wairau Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2025
A wine with a great pedigree – winning Gold medals all over the place, and was well-liked today. A powerful perfume – as soon as you open the bottle you know this is Marlborough Sauvignon. Juicy citrus, golden apple, passionfruit and green tones of cut grass, herbs and capsicum. An equally vibrant palate that shivers with crystalline acidity, highlighting the lime and grapefruit flavours. Lots of moving parts, with underlying power and a satisfying finish that brings the elements together well.
#9 Eaton Forte 2022
Perhaps the outlier in this selection, but David in particular liked the boldness and personality of this wine – “it would reward the curious consumer”. The impact of skin contact gives great complexity, and the peppery spice from the barrel maturation also enhances the tannin and texture on show. Lemon, apple, white peach, sage, grapefruit and elderflower on the nose. Acidity is turned down a notch, and its voice is quieter than most we saw today. A waxy texture cossets the back of the palate, and the finish is pithy, rounded and quite salivating.
#10 Astrolabe Awatere Sauvignon Blanc 2025
Very crisp aromatics where green tones lead the way. Freshly cut herbs, lemongrass, whitecurrant, pea pod, crunchy capsicum and satsuma aromas enticed us in. Quite dry and boosted by a tart acidity, the wine evolves as you taste, with the fruits heading into a more tropical ripeness and the palate broadening to also include a line of savoury – nettle and fennel – with a tickle of spice. Zesty and dry at the long finish.
A mention is due to a handful of wines that were just outside the Top 10 list but offer excellent value for money as well as great quality:
Palliser Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2024. The winning wine at NZIWS was a Sauvignon from Martinborough (from te Kairanga) – and the region does make really good expressions that are quite different from the classic Marlborough ones. Crisp, elegant and linear, with a good balance between fruit, acidity and texture.
Whitehaven Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2025. 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.
Clos Henri Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2025
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.
