2024 Small Family Awatere Valley Sauvignon Blanc
2024 Small Family Awatere Valley Sauvignon Blanc
The wine has an intense aroma of lime, passion fruit, grass, and peas. On the palate, it is balanced, with great freshness and a powerful body.
90/100 points – Konstantin Baum
Until recently, there was no Sauvignon Blanc in Marlborough. Or rather, there was no wine in Marlborough. Only sheep grazed in this region in the north of New Zealand's South Island. It wasn't until 1973 that the first vines were planted – and then nothing happened for a while. In the 1980s, word began to spread that Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc was exceptionally aromatic and fresh – and then the boom began. When I came to New Zealand in 2007, Marlborough was already one of the best-known regions in the wine world, and “Marlborough Sauvi,” as the New Zealanders call it, was a classic.
Much has changed in Marlborough over the last few decades. Winemakers have delved deeper into the region and are working out the differences between Marlborough's valleys and individual vineyards. Claudia and Bill Small are no exception. They know the best sites in the cooler Awatere Valley and work with vineyard owners there. Using the simplest of means, they make their wine and produce straightforward, fresh Sauvis – wines that are typical of New Zealand but represent a more elegant style.
The wine has an intense aroma of lime, passion fruit, grass, and peas. On the palate, it is balanced, with great freshness and a powerful body.
90/100 points – Konstantin Baum
