BABICH BLACK LABEL MARLBOROUGH SAUVIGNON BLANC 2007
Overview:
A wine first produced in 2005 that is exclusive to restaurants and bars. 2007 was a fantastic year for Sauvignon Blanc in Marlborough. The grapes were in excellent condition, pungent and flavourful. The Black Label Sauvignon has been developed to complement food – we have blended a wine which, while displaying the pungent and crisp characteristics that set Marlborough sourced fruit apart, shows greater depth and complexity on the palate.
Grapes:
100% Sauvignon Blanc
Region:
Marlborough
Winemaker:Adam Hazeldine
Recommended Food:
Can be enjoyed with a variety of food. Serve it with veal, seafood (brilliant with oysters) or a chicken dish such as a mild chicken korma with crispy popadoms.
Recommended Cellaring:
0-3 years
Production Notes:
After harvest the grapes were quickly crushed and pressed into stainless steel tanks where most of the juice was fermented at controlled cool temperatures to capture the intense varietal flavours. A small portion of juice was fermented in old oak barriques to contribute to the weight and complexity of the wine. Blending took place in mid July 2007.
Tasting Notes:
The bouquet is a pleasing assault of musk and passionfruit that leads into an intense fruit salad of flavours in the mouth. The sweet fruit combines perfectly with the zesty yet rich and textured palate. Notes of melon and gooseberry join the mid palate and linger on the finish.
Awards:
SILVER MEDAL
-San Francisco Wine Competition 2008
SILVER MEDAL
-Royal NZ Easter Show Wine Awards 2008
HIGHLY COMMENDED (Judged with food)
- Sydney International Wine Competition 2007
(Highly commended wines are those entries which, when judged alongside appropriate food, the judges marks' in aggregate, pointed them in the top 15% approximately of the Total Entry.)
JUDGES CHOICE
-2008 International Value Wine Awards
Reviews:
"This label was created for restaurants and bars. Most of the juice was fermented in stainless steel tanks with a small portion going through barrels for added complexity and texture. It shows vibrant lime, feijoa and floral notes with a touch of herbaceous characters. On the palate it is lush and delicious with bright acidity and rounded texture. At its best: now to 2009."
4 STARS
- Wine Orbit Review, Sam Kim, August 2007
"Impressive wine with a dense and silken texture, great fruit purity and an array of flavours including mineral, guava and orange blossom. Subtle wine with power."
90 POINTS
-Bob Campbell, Oct 2007
"Sold in restaurants and bars, this is a consistently excellent wine. The 2007 vintage partly barrel-fermented, is fleshy and ripe, with a touch of complexity and soft, generous flavours that build well across the palate."
4.5 STARS
-Michael Cooper's A Buyers Guide to New Zealand Wines 2008
"This exuberant Sauvignon Blanc bursts with intense floral and passionfruit aromas that leads to flavours of gooseberry, pear and melon on the refreshing palate. This is prototypical New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc with loads of personality and the promise of spring in every glass. My note: Grassy goodness. A refreshing and zippy wine. Closed with a screwcap. Pair with: lemon chicken or grilled seafood."
89 POINTS
-Natalie MacLean, Nat Decants, March 2008
"This is one intense NZ Sauvignon. The nose shows typical gooseberry puree, nettle, black current buds and vegetal/wet ash notes, but it's the profile on the palate the really impresses: flavour intensity is well-above average, as is the long lingering finish. This is not a wine for the cellar, but rather to enjoy within the next year or two to capture all of its vibrancy."
-John Szabo, WineAccess, March 2008
"This Sauvignon has a lovely, seamless nose of citrus and lime, with pear, floral and subtle herbal notes. Unlike some kiwi examples, this is not dominated by an aggressive herbaceous edge, in fact, the aromas are very harmonious. The wine's wonderfully balanced acidity on a mid-weight frame combines with great length to produce a seriously good value product. Poultry in a dill cream sauce would be a good food choice."
4.5 STARS
-Mark Tandan, Winecurrent.com, March 2008
"If there's such a thing as a classic New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc any more, this is the style - the style that captured the world market in the 1990's and is still riding high. The flavours are both vibrant and pungent, and the acid seam is broad and long. The overall effect is racy and flavourful, a great match for grilled seafood and white fish with fresh lemon juice."
4 STARS
-Winepointer, February 2008
"A dense and silken texture, great fruit purity and an array of flavours including mineral, guava and orange blossom. Subtle wine with power. This flagship label was first released in 2005 and is sold only at cellar door and in restaurants."
4 STARS
-Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine, Feb/Mar 2008
"This is the "reserve" version of the Sauvignon Blanc in general list, from a well represented New Zealand producer. It has the gruff countenance we expect of the grape in New Zealand, with gooseberries and mown grass, but there's generous, sweet grapefruit and white peach underneath."
-The Hamilton Spectator, March 2008
"A glorious bouquet displaying lifted aromas of capsicum with musky and floral notes. It’s explosive on the palate showing intense fruit and vibrant acidity. A punchy, delicious Sauvignon Blanc. Available at selected restaurants and bars."
5 STARS
93 POINTS
-Wine Orbit, Sam Kim, March, 2008
"The 2007 Black Label Sauvignon Blanc, a batch selection with 5% barrel fermentation, waltzes in with a lovely floral nose with white flowers, cut grass and a touch of chalk dust, the palate adorned with good definition with notes of green apple, nettle and gooseberry. Quite minerally on the finish, this is an excellent Sauvignon Blanc."
89 POINTS
-Wine Advocate Issue #176, Neal Martin, April, 2008
"This is one intense version of NZ Sauvignon Blanc. The nose shows typical gooseberry puree, nettle, blackcurrant buds and vegetal/wet ash notes, but its profile on the palate that really impresses: flavour intensity is well-above average, as is the long lingering finish. This is not a wine for the cellar, but rather to enjoy within the next year or two to capture all of its vibrancy."
89 POINTS
-Top Ten Smart Buys, May 2008
"The nose has lovely herbal nuances with hints of capsicum and hay. Sweet, ripe juicy fruit follows in a clean and fresh style. Overall a well balanced wine that has good fruit weight and a touch of zing. Recommended. "
4 STARS
TOP TIP - Top Tip is given to wines that are of exceptional quality regardless of price.
-TiZwine.com September 2008
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