Thursday, January 30, 2014

Drinking My Own Words



Hell may as well freeze over because the unimaginable has happened – I’m actually excited about Sauv Blanc… (Pause for grasps). 

I have always been very open and expressive about how I feel about Sauv Blanc, especially the NZ ones. I find them very boring, generic and simply un-exciting. But things changed when I tried Sidewood Estate's Sauv Blanc from Adelaide Hills. This Sauvy may even be good enough to woo the biggest Sauv hater into a fan!

2013 Sidewood Sauv Blanc
My first experience of Sidewood Estate was just before Christmas when I tried their Vintage Isabella Sparkling Rose (which will feature in a line up of Adelaide Hills Fizz later). It Caught me by surprise and all I could muster was a "Whoa! Where did these guys come from?" So you can imagine how skeptical, yet hopeful, I was when when the Sauv Blanc delivery arrived.

I found out it scored 94pts from wine writer James Halliday. I thought, “that's a big score,” so I gave it a crack, seeing as I did love the fizz. And boy did it deliver the goods. This Adelaide Hills winery is knocking out some wonderful wines.
  
Notes:
Light yellow in the glass, with a green hue. Very herbaceous on the nose giving way to citrus and ripe passion fruit behind. On the palate you get a crisp acid hit followed by lime and lemon showing good fruit and acid balance. Long finish with lime all the way and a little bit of oiliness.

Show Stopping Sauv Blanc!
The key to this wine is it's balance of fruit and acid, It has depth and complexity. I'm going to score this one a solid 92pts. This has defiantly put Sauv Blanc back on the map for me and has opened my eyes again as how good Sauv Blanc can be when done right.

It has gone onto win a plethora of gold medals and awards around the country. Quite frankly it deserves everyone of them but if you're still a skeptic. I'd suggest picking one up yourself to try, as this wine more than speaks for its self.

For now Ciao,

B