Sunday, November 15, 2009
Frenzy Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, 2008
This is one of my favorite Sauvignon Blancs at the moment simply because it is so full of life. It comes from the excellent 2008 vintage in New Zealand, and the color is still light and bright. Even so, the wine has evolved substantially even since last summer. Grapefruit is now the primary aroma. True to NZ Sauvignon Blanc, I also smell some bell peppers, both red and green. There is a nice passion fruit element and now some lime and freshly picked basil. But mainly I get cool and crisp grapefruit smells and flavors, sharply focused fruit balanced by a tart acidity. Makes the mouth tingle with pleasure. I find it a perfect match for Margarhita pizza (basil, sliced tomatoes, garlic and cheese), but it would also drink well on its own.
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As a regular visitor to Marlborough, and an ardent follower of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, I am surprised to hear of an artisan producer there called Frenzy.
ReplyDeleteWhen I googled them, here's what I found: "This Sauvignon Blanc is produced by the folks from Tenuta Campo di Sasso of Tuscany, who fell in love with New Zealand and its delightful Sauvignon Blancs. Frenzy is their latest offering, a second label, if you will, of their Mount Nelson brand."
Mount Nelson, themselves aren't a Marlborough artisan producer either.
It seems Frenzy is more of a 'marketing brand', a 'virtual-winery', than a true artisan producer.
Doesn't mean to say it's not an enjoyable drink of course, but I thought you might be interested.
If you would like some info on true artisan producers in Marlborough, let me know. I'd be happy to put you in touch with a few Marlborough winemaker friends.
Regards
Matt Fletcher
Matt, artisan wine is what I most like to drink. But clearly not every wine I drink, or review here, is an artisan wine.
ReplyDeleteFrenzy, though, is a very delightful expression of Sauvignon Blanc that does not seem to me overly manipulated. I did mention in my earlier review that it is produced by Tenuta Campo di Sasso of Tuscany, and I think they do a good job of letting the fruit do the talking. If you follow my blog regularly, you know that my definition of artisan applies more to attitude than size of the producer.
As for "true artisan producers" in Marlborough, I'd love to know about them and where I can buy them.