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The 2007 Wither Hills Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc shows benchmark characteristics; intense gooseberry, ripe herbal lime notes underpinned by the classically pungent melon, guava and passionfruit aromatics. The palate is extraordinarily balanced with bright seamless acidity, concentration of brambly, grapefruit flavours and a long supple finish. A wine of remarkable intensity. Pale Lemon. Vibrant, bright, fresh, herbal, gooseberry - classical Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Both fresh and refreshing, the mouth-filling herbal palate enhances the excellent fruit structure and length of this wine. Displaying intense gooseberry and capsicum characters, the lingering soft flavours provide a beautifully ripe and powerful wine with an abundance of richness, uplifted by fresh acidity and an impressive long finish. Both fresh and refreshing, this Wither Hills Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is best consumed upon release, however will continue to develop mouthfilling fruit-driven flavours over the next two to three years. A few weekends ago I was fortunate enough to attend the inaugural Marlborough Wine Weekend which was dedicated to new release tastings, tours and unbelievably great seafood all within the backdrop of one of the more beautiful winegrowing regions of the world. As one could imagine, it was also interspersed with a fair share of Sauvignon Blanc. Truth be known, I was a little apprehensive heading over at the daunting task of trying so many wines from this variety but in the wash-up, it was a good, and very educational opportunity to see so many wines made from the same variety alongside each other. Apart from the experimentation associated with barrel ferments, wild yeasts and addition of Semillon - all of which proved exciting and interesting, there were a few stand-out Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs made in the traditional manner. One of the real stars for me was the Wither Hills Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2007 primarily because it rode the fine line between the grassy flavours the variety is synonymous with and beautiful luscious tropical fruit. This already has an added dimension of complexity compared to the previous vintage but nor is it over the top complex which is a good thing as it is not a character I am searching for in this style. Immaculately clean, not a hint of 'armpit' which I saw in a few others, the catchcry of this wine is 'balance'. I am not sure a wine can have 'loads' of balance, if it can, this does! Of all the Sauvignon Blancs I tried, this would certainly be in the top 3, and perhaps more importantly the most 'crowd-pleasing' style I encountered. Now-2009; Quality: Excellent BW; WineStar© November 2007 Pale and crystal clear it strikes a fine balance between the herbal capsicum and snow pea smells and the fruity ones of gooseberry, citrus and fresh pineapple. It’s a bit spicy too and I always like that. On the palate precise and clean with good drive and attractive flavours of light tropical fruit, lime and capsicum spice. Nice and dry with a little roughing up providing a bit of textural interest. Finishes clean and long with a lick of spice. A great example of the ‘classic’ Marlborough style. Rated : 92 Points; Drink : 2008 - 2009; Gary Walsh; Winorama Wither Hills Sauvignon is always knit together with intricate precision and this year every nuance slides perfectly into place. Zesty citrus fruit and hints of fresh peas and spice make up a concentrated palate with great balance and persistence. It’s ready to perform this summer. 92 points; Tyson Stelzer; Wine Business Monthly – December 07
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