Wine Lovers' Page: Grove Mill 1997 Marlborough (N.Z.) Sauvignon Blanc

Today's Wine Tasting Note

I'm very fond of the herbaceous style of many New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, which jump up out of the glass with an in-your-face herbaceous quality that's described variously as "grassy," "gooseberry," "boxwood" or even "cat spray." It's an acquired taste for many, but I think my wife got it right when she went back for another glass after dinner, mumbling, "I don't even like white wines very much, but this one is different."

Indeed.

Grove Mill Waihopai Valley Winery 1997 Marlborough (N.Z.) Sauvignon Blanc ($14.99)
Clear straw color. Absolutely delicious scent, honeysuckle and grass with just a whiff of that Sauvignon "cat spray." Crisp, bright fruit flavor, full and tart; grassy and floral notes persist in a long finish. If not quite as "outrageous" as the Cloudy Bay that serves as the New Zealand benchmark for most U.S. wine lovers, it may be a bit better balanced and structured instead. U.S. importer: Appellation Imports, Annapolis Junction, Md. (Jan. 14, 1998)

FOOD MATCH: I fashioned a quick meatless dinner-in-a-dish specifically to match: Celery (and celery leaves), green peppers and onions cooked up with orzo pasta. The dinner's veggie flavors worked perfectly with the herbaceous wine, like matching like in a delicious fashion.

All my wine-tasting reports are consumer-oriented. In order to maintain objectivity and avoid conflicts of interest, I purchase all the wines I rate at my own expense in retail stores.

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