When I see a Marlborough, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc on a wine list,
I pretty much know I’m going to like it. They all seem to have a certain commonality. One can usually expect a dry, crisp,
refreshing experience with pronounced (bowl of grapefruit) citrus notes - which I happen to enjoy. Though to some extent they are “alike”, each still has its own personality - some can be grassier and others have more pronounced
tropical fruit notes, which is the case with this week’s Wine Wednesday
feature, the 2016 Pebble Row Sauvignon Blanc.
Something I'd like to point out, is the
importance of drinking wine at the right temperature in order to appreciate it completely.
On Saturday, I took this from my wine fridge set at 41° F for white wines. On the nose, serious tropical fruit notes,
especially lychee and slightly floral. I
noticed a subtle more rounded and silky mouthfeel than some of the other NZ
Sauvignon Blancs. The finish was crisp with lingering, mouthwatering
citrus. It struck me as a very well-balanced
wine. On Sunday, (the bottle had been in our regular refrigerator) I poured a
glass and the experience was similar but not the same. Our regular refrigerator
is set at 35°F. It always amazes me what a difference temperature
makes. In this case, the colder
temperature masked that rounder mouthfeel I had enjoyed the night before, and
the nose wasn’t near as intriguing. After letting the wine sit (warm) a bit,
the experience was more like it had been on Saturday night.
This Sauvignon Blanc from the Wairau (river) Valley of the
Marlborough region of NZ is named after the river stones that line their vineyard
rows. Pebble Row Sauvignon Blanc has earned
a reoccurring spot in my wine fridge. We
enjoyed it by itself, but also with Grilled Shrimp with Wasabi Remoulade. Try
also with Grilled Sword Fish with Lime Crema. Click the links below to print or
save the recipes.
