A bracingly tart New Zealand sauvignon blanc
An ambitious unoaked white wine you can scoop up for a steal
Loveblock Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand
$21.99
13% alcohol
PLCB Item #9051
Sale price through Jan. 5; regularly $23.99
There’s quite a lot we can learn from a wine’s package without even reading the label. Some bottle shapes have been historically associated with particular wine styles, and some variables, like glass color or closure type, are constrained by practical realities. However, vintners have an incentive to make sure their packaging designs do not simply reflect their own sensibilities, but also resonate with their target audience and where possible also telegraph how the wine itself will taste. This ambitious unoaked white wine provides subtle clues in its bottle and label design that can help a savvy wine shopper make an educated guess as to how it compares stylistically to its most direct competitors.
Like most New Zealand sauvignon blancs, this bottle sports a sensible Stelvin screwcap, since white wines are particularly susceptible to damage from natural corks and also unlikely to be aged long term. However, much about this bottle stands out from its peers. Many wines on the New Zealand sauvignon blanc shelf are bottled in narrower clear glass bottles with square shoulders — a shape associated with the Bordeaux region of France that has popularized this grape in a decidedly citrusy style. By opting for darker glass and a slope-shouldered bottle that is more associated with the Burgundy region and its chardonnay grape, this winemaker is hinting that their sauvignon blanc may be made in a riper and more richly textured style. Indeed, portions of this wine are fermented in neutral oak barrels with lees-aging and partial malolactic fermentation — enrichment techniques more common in chardonnay.
When the wine is poured, these clues prove to be accurate. Where the average New Zealand sauvignon blanc offers bracingly tart and linear flavors of green herbs and lemon-lime, this one tastes richer and riper, with more expansive flavors of tropical fruits like pineapple, guava, and kiwi.
Also available at:
Joe Canal’s in Marlton, $20.99
WineWorks in Marlton, $21.98
Roger Wilco in Pennsauken, $21.98