7 Excellent New Releases From New Zealand
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RP Digital
- 21 Mar 2018 | News & Views
In Wine Advocate Issue 235, managing editor Joe Czerwinski tasted nearly 700 new releases coming out of New Zealand. “Sauvignon Blanc from the country’s powerhouse region of Marlborough has led the charge, but there’s an increasingly diverse roster of other grape varieties with which to fall in love, as well as other notable wine regions worth exploring on both the North and South Islands,” he says.
Behold, the best new releases from the Land of the Long White Cloud, all rated 93 points and higher:
“Medium to full-bodied, it's tighter and longer than the impressive 2015 and should drink well for up to a decade.”
“It's mouth-filling and ripe, with a long, subtle finish.”
“This medium to full-bodied Sauvignon Blanc then finishes long, with an elegant swirl of pink grapefruit.”
“The 2015 Te Koko offers pungency and passion fruit on the nose, followed by a wine of great concentration and intensity.”
“Give it another year or two and drink it over the next 5-6.”
“Rich, honeyed (yet dry) and oak-spiced, the 2015 Marama is a distinctive style of Sauvignon Blanc.”
“It's flavorful without being flamboyant, a discrete dinner companion with a lingering presence on the citrus and wet stone finish.”