Wine Review - 2011 Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc: A Tasting Challenge

We have a bit of a Wine Blogging conundrum on our hands.  What should you do when one of the wine reviewers is with child?  This is a wonderful and magical thing for sure and we are over the moon but from a wine tasting perspective we are in a pickle.

So, what are we to do?

Well, I am going to try and continue to review wines albeit at a much slower pace and potentially on weekends, as I do not need to be finishing off a bottle of wine in one sitting.  We will be supplementing our reviews with other content as you may have noticed over the last few weeks.  We have a bit of a transition to manage but once our new bundle of joy arrives we will start heading back to our European ways on wine.  Shannon can certainly use her eyes and nose as part of this but it is the tasting part she will not be engaging in.  I will try and hold up to her very high standards.  Her doctors have said that a little wine here and there is not a real danger but with no hard facts erring on the side of caution is always prudent.

On to the wine....

This wine was a gift and when you look at in the glass it is very clear and almost effervescent.  There are little bubbles forming in the glass as we speak.  It is not a bubbly wine but there is a touch of fizz in there.  The colour is pale for sure and has that slightly greenish tinge around the edges.  If you hold it up to the light it almost turns clear and into water.  Take it back from the light and the pale yellow and green comes back.  Interesting to say the least.

The nose is all New Zealand with all those familiar Mango, Papaya, and Starfruit notes in there.  This is a very attractive smell.  It really makes you want to drink it.  Definitely a familiar and happy smell which makes for a great anticipation of the taste.  Superb nose.

This is where things get interesting.

The fizz is apparent though the bubbles dissipate quickly.  There is a hint of sugar on the front of the palate but that transitions quickly to a much more tart mid-palate taste and a very, very tart finish.  Almost a bitter finish, like when you bite into a Granny Smith apple and that first bit of tart juice hits your tongue.  The mid-palate has some greenness to it.  Call it grassy or minerality but there is a definite beach rock flavour that slips in there.  That taste is nice but the finish is too rough.  That tartness we mentioned is a dominant finish which lessens the overall experience.  It just ends with too much acid and it becomes almost bitter.

	Tasting Notes:	Score:
Sight (0-5)	Clear and pale wine with green tinges around the edge.  Nice looking.	4.0
Smell (0-5)	Tropical nose with Mango, Papaya, and Starfruit.  Very attractive and inviting smell that makes you want to drink.  Outstanding really.	4.75
Taste (0-10)	This has all the makings of a great Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc when you first taste it with the crisp acidity being good and in balance with a mineral mid-palate but the finish is just too damn tart.  If it came back a notch it would be an outstanding wine.	7.75
	Total:	16.5 / 20 (82.5%)

At $22 locally, this is on par with many Kiwi Sauv Blancs. Again, if it finished better we would probably love this wine.  As it stands we like it maybe more than just a bit but it certainly does not spill over to love.

Keep on tasting!

Chris & Shannon