Yealands Sauvignon Blanc 2009

One of my wife's friends introduced us to the Yealands Sauvignon Blanc.  Yealands was started in 2002 by Peter Yealands who, in such a short period of time, has turned his winery into the leader in sustainable growing. They have received both the Sustainable Winegrowing Certification (SWINZ) and has a CarboNZero Certification, which is shown on the label.  In addition to other techniques, Yealands uses wind turbines and solar panels.  To reduce spraying and tractor mowing, they allow the sheep to graze in the vineyards. Yealands is the largest privately owned vineyard in New Zealand.   2009 was a trying year for the Marlborough region due to the lack of rain in March and April.  The grapes for this vintage were picked a little later than normal.

Last night we opened a bottle of the 2009 Sauvignon Blanc which started with tight aromas of lime and grapefruit and some stoniness.  The Awatere Valley located south of Marlborough is know for its stony ravines and sloping landscape.   On the palate, there is a biting pink grapefruit flavor followed by green apples and green vegetable (asparagus) and some minerality on the back.  The wine was medium bodied with some complexity but the acidity was unusually high and the back end had a bitterness that didn't encourage me to have another glass.  This wine must be kept cold.  Also, I would not drink this as an aperitif.  This could be enjoyed with an appetizer or a main course of scallops and fish.  Overall, a decent wine but I would probably try another sauvignon blanc instead of this one next time.  Wine Spectator gave it an 88 point rating which is probably at the high end of my range.  I think 85-87 is more representative of this wine.  It retails for about $11-$12.