New Zealand wine has an excellent reputation world wide, and is especially know for pinot noir and sauvignon blanc. As of 2005, New Zealand was the 24th highest producer of wine, having bottled 120,000 metric tonnes. (Canada ranked 32nd with 50,400 tonnes, behind countries such as Japan, Mexico, and Moldova.) New Zealand's cool climate is similar to that of France's Bourgogne region, which is ideal for growing pinot. I wonder whether a New Zealand chardonnay would have the same minerality of Chablis...But I digress. The 2007 Whitehaven sauvignon blanc shows celery, grapefruit, and fresh cut grass on the nose. The citrus is undeniable. On the palate, I detect lots of green fruit, such as kiwi fruit, key lime, granny smith apples. It has a mouth-watering acidity and a long finish. Though sauvignon blanc is not my most favourite wine I definitely look forward to enjoying a bottle of Whitehaven again.
