2010 Nine Walks Sauvignon Blanc

This bottle is what we call an industry sample - in the interest of full disclosure I need to tell you this bottle was comped. It was still tasted in the same rigorous way as all wines we taste here - semi-blind without a care of hurt feelings or broken relationships, this is a blog after all. That said, this retails for $11

Classic New Zealand SB nose - grassy and grapefruity with a bit of vanilla bean.

While the whole grapefruit and grass thing is there, there's also some great tangerine notes, vanilla, well balanced acid and I'm going to say there's a dash of sugar or two, but it all works together nicely.

White cherry in a Slurpee kinda way on the finish, with orange blossom, grapefruit zest, and a bit of rose.

On par, if not better, than most $10 New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs I've had. This one is certainly worthy of being put in your rotation.

Score: 88

2009 Starborough Sauvignon Blanc

This goes for about $10. We don't really drink much Sauvignon Blanc, but it's a good summer wine, one I'll probably make a point to explore a bit more in depth this year.

Grassy and grapefruity on the nose.

The thing I like about this varietal, especially from New Zealand, is that they are usually quite dry, but don't really "feel" dry - grapefruit dominates with grassy qualities, orange pith - general citrus pith I suppose - and even a bit of green apple peel.

Jelly Belly Pink Grapefruit on the finish. Jelly Belly Harry Potter Grass beans as well.

I'll be the first to say wines like this are tough to score - it's not terribly deep or complex, but I'll be damned if it ain't tasty.

Score: 87

2010 Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc

This goes for about $11 - we don't drink enough Sauvignon Blanc and it seemed like it may be a good pairing with a buffalo chicken pizza.

A "tropical" nose - snow on the ground, this just doesn't smell right with grapefruit, pineapple, maybe even mango.

Fruity, perhaps a tad sweet, but great acid to balance it - a touch creamy, mostly tropical, mango is more pronounced, papaya, pineapple, pink grapefruit.

A bit of white grapefruit on the finish - some more tart qualities come through, stronger (yet less sweet) pineapple, and certainly papaya.

A nice bottle of wine to be sure...if you have one, save it for a warm day, it just seems cruel to open this in the winter.

Score: 88

2006 Kim Crawford Pinot Noir

This is $16 normally, but there was an 'end of bin' sale going on and I snagged it for $8.50.

Dirt and raspberry on the nose.

A strange mix of old and new world - lots of earthy, dirty, funky notes - but then almost a Twizzler like quality...ultra ripe raspberry and dark red, borderline candied, cherries. I like both styles (the former more than the latter), but the mix is throwing me off.

Some earthy, funky, and bell pepper things are coming through on the finish.

I understand and respect this wine as I feel it's very well made, especially at this pricepoint. It just does not work for me, though.

Wine: 6
Value: Nah

2007 Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc

A somewhat grassy nose – we don't drink much Sauvignon Blanc so this is a thinker to be sure. I feel like there's some coconut and pineapple going on in there as well.

I'm getting more fresh grass on the palate and more tropical fruit – grapefruit, pineapple – and a little bit of green pepper (the vegetable) all with a dash of white pepper (the spice). There's a slight touch of sweetness and a reasonable balance of acid.

The finish is somewhat vegetal – green and yellow bell pepper and even a bit of asparagus. Strange.

I'm probably being generous with my wine rating because I have less experience with SB, but this is certainly an interesting wine.

Wine: 7
Value: Definitely

2007 Kim Crawford Unoaked Chardonnay

You can snag this one for about $15 at most places, but I saw it at $13 at our local Costco.

Pineapple on the nose.

Thick, actually rather sweet, not much acid, a bit buttery with a bit of vanilla hanging out. It's not bad – this is one of those things, for a "white wine" I don't really care for it, but as a "Chardonnay" is awesome. It's big and one-dimensional but it's tasty enough.

Pineapple ice cream on the finish.

I respect this wine, but I can't say I care for it. It's a bit too rich, too buttery, too sweet, and too flabby for me to really dig it.

Wine: 5.5
Value: Not our style, but it's well made and at the very least worth a “Pass.”

2004 Heaphy Moutere Riesling

I can't find any info on this – I have no idea where I bought it or what I paid for it.

The nose has a slight bit of gasoline.

Quite nice. Dry overall with some tart apples, almost a hard apple cider made with Granny Smith apples. Plenty of lime and some good minerality with a hint of eucalyptus oddly.

More lime – lime zest - on the finish.

Maybe, just maybe, a bit simple – but overall very enjoyable, very balanced, and very good.

Wine: 7.5
QPR: ? - recommendable if you find it for under $13.

2006 Martinborough Vineyards Te Tera Sauvignon Blanc

We tried this at a tasting and enjoyed it enough to snag a bottle at fifteen big ones.

A citrusy nose with some great fresh cut grass notes.

While I don't recall the tasting at which we tried this, at first sip I see why we bought it. This has what I would describe as an ideal balance – just a bit of sugar and a whole mess of acid. Pink grapefruit – almost a grapefruit cocktail thing going – actually...this is just like the leftover syrup in canned/jarred grapefruit. There's also some limeade sort of notes. As the bottle opens and warms up a bit I get some vanilla bean and some fuzzy pineapple.

The acid lingers with more grapefruit and some grassy notes – just as it's about to completely fade away a burst of mango comes through – it's curious.

Your enjoyment on this wine will most likely be directly related to your love of grapefruit. I'm a fan of both.

Wine: 9
QPR: 9

2006 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc

Kim Crawford is a highly respected producer which we've trid at tastings and thoroughly enjoyed. I grabbed a bottle of this for $14.

A huge nose of grass and tropical fruit – pineapple and passionfruit.

Nice and crisp – bold notes of citrus and tropical fruits. Pineapple, papaya, passionfruit, and grapefruit. Slate and minerals with a touch of sweetness – perhaps some limeade – and even a taste of grass. I'm a bit surprised at just how “large” this wine is – it begs for food, I'd go with some sort of spicy Asian or Mexican faire.

Lime and grapefruit on the finish. Crisp acid leaves the mouth watering.

This was highly rated all around and certainly deserves to be – powerful, complex, and amazingly, under $15. Perhaps the finest QPR we've ever had. Outstanding and strongly recommended.

2006 Kirland Central Otago Pinot Noir

Since we've had some decent luck with the Kirkland label before, I figured I'd grab a bottle of this at $17.

Not much else but earth on the nose.

Even after two full hours of airtime this one was still tight. A fair amount of dirt, funk, forest floor, some green notes, and raspberry.

The finish lasts for a while starting with cherry, then dirt comes through, and finally it trails off with lingering raspberry.

Maybe it needs some more time in the cellar, but this one is a bit too tight at this point. While there's some nice complexity and a bit of varietal characteristic,I think it would be worth picking up a bottle and sitting on it for a while to see what happens.

2005 Glamour Puss East Coast Pinot Noir

A $10 Pinot Noir with a cutesy label....how good can it be? I intended to find out.

Earth and raspberry on the nose.

The palate has some mild tannic backbone, with raspberry, cherry, earth, and chocolate.

The finish brings out some sassafras notes.

This is probably the biggest shock I’ve had since trying The Little Penguin - this is not only not bad, it’s actually pretty good...sometimes people ask why I bother with "obvious" bad wines: I present you with why I do.

Some distinct Pinot notes and nice structure - I would recommend this firmly. Certainly the best under $10 Pinot I’ve had and better than many at the $15 range.

2004 Villa Maria Pinot Noir Private Bin

I don’t think we’ve ever had a Pinot Noir from New Zealand...and the more I think about it, the more I’m not sure if we’ve ever really had anything from New Zealand. I’m sure we have in tastings, but I’ve never bought anything from that fine country.

Berry, earth, and funk on the nose.

Cherry, oak, chocolate, and plenty of earth. A fair amount of acid and nice, firm tannins - nicely structured all around.

The finish really brings out the oak and some blackberry.

If there’s an under $15 Pinot Noir from the States that’s this good, I want recommendations. This is a great buy and is recommended.