Oyster Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2012
Tasting note:
Natalie's tasting note, score, food pairings and recipes for this wine
Reviewed March 30, 2013 by Natalie MacLean
More Reviews
Opinions about wine differ greatly as the experience is subjective. You may find it helpful to compare this critical evaluation of the wine with mine as well as your own:
 | Valerie Stride rated this wine as 89/100 with the following review:
A bright Sauvignon Blanc coming out of a region that KNOWS how to do Sauvignon Blanc well...I'm not the only one who thinks so. Hints of tropical fruit, such as pineapple and mango, come at you behind the classic grassy herbaceousness that makes a Sauv Blanc so wonderful. An extremely good wine for the price point. Drink now through 2014. |
 | Darlene Myers rated this wine as 89/100 with the following review:
Crisp, acidic - everything you expect a Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region of New Zealand to be. Lots of tropical fruits and would go great with a crisp salad and a vinaigrette dressing. A nice summer picnic wine. |
 | Drink Wine and Giggle Gals rated this wine as 85/100 with the following review:
The Drink Wine and Giggle Gals prefer to pair their wine with acts of derring-do rather than food. Therefore a somewhat acidic wine such as Oyster Bay sauvignon blanc seems a bit harsh, like a hard dismount off the trapeze during one of our circus training sessions. Follow Natalie's advice and pair this one with seafood or salad or seafood salad. |
 | Marlborough Growing Season 2012
Early Marlborough spring growing conditions were cooler than usual
delaying budburst and subsequent flowering. Settled conditions
in late spring promoted healthy shoot growth and even fruit set,
although bunch formation was smaller than normal. Marlborough
experienced higher than average rainfall in January and February,
providing good soil moisture and plant-available nutrient levels.
Lower than average heat summation over the veraison period
extended ripening into late March. Weather conditions settled with
clear blue skies and heat summation returning to the long-term
average. Good canopy management practices maximised light
exposure and allowed the fruit to continue ripening late into the
growing season. This resulted in the fruit reaching its full maturity
and harvested in pristine condition.
Soil Type
Prime central Wairau, Renwick and Brancott soils. Shallow sandy
loams over deep layers of free draining river gravels, providing
moderate fertility and low vigour.
Clonal / Rootstock Selection
An emphasis on Bordeaux clones for pure, instantly recognisable
varietal intensity and flavour. Medium-to-low vigour rootstock
selection matched for suitability to clone and soil vigour.
Winemaking Techniques
Throughout harvest, fruit was selected from progressively later
ripening vineyard blocks, commencing with the stonier free-draining
sites. Upon receipt to the winery, the grapes were destemmed and
transferred to the tank presses where the free-run juice was separated
and the remaining fruit lightly pressed. The juice was then cold settled
to a clear state, racked into stainless steel fermentation tanks and then
inoculated with a select range of yeasts for added complexity and
aromaticity. A slow, temperature controlled fermentation at 12-14 °C
(54-59 °F) was undertaken for an average of 14 days. After a short
period of yeast lees contact, the wine was racked for final blending
and bottled young to ensure that the fresh, crisp and elegant varietal
characters were retained. |
If you liked this wine, you might also like these:
Serve this wine between 55-60 degrees Farenheit or 12-16 degrees Celsius. Tip: If your bottle is at room temperature, put it in ice water for about 30 minutes or in the fridge for about three hours to chill it.
