New Zealand's Cloudy Bay Vineyards

Sauvignon blanc and pinot noir from the Marlborough region.

Once upon a time, there was sauvignon blanc, and there was New Zealand sauvignon blanc. The sauvignon blanc wines emanating from that island nation east of Australia were so distinctive in their ultra-herbal/uber-grassy character that they became a byword not just for exuberance but for exaggeration. Nothing wrong with bell pepper, gooseberry, grapefruit, celery leaf and lime, but pack all those qualities into one bouquet with blow-out, piercing pungency and eventually it becomes a cliche.