Fairhall Cliffs Sauvignon Blanc 2011

Grape:    Sauvignon Blanc

Price:      £7

Store:     Majestic Wine

Country: New Zealand

Region:  Marlborough

ABV:       13%

The mantlepiece in my front room is always the setting for the photographs on my reviews.  I am no expert but I like the light and the backdrop provides a warm and complimentary colour for the bottles.  The thing is, this will all change soon.  The wall behind is actually bare plaster from when Mrs Everyman and I decided we were going to redecorate the entire house and began stripping the walls.  The old wallpaper came off quite quickly but as the weekends fill with other chores and social events, the walls in the living room remain unchanged.  After a while, self-admonishment gets quieter and the state of the walls slowly becomes invisible.  A recent surge in joint effort means it won't be too much longer before changes will be made however, it really surprised me how something that obvious could go unnoticed for such a long time.

That made me think about wine.  Actually, the thought of decorating the entire house made me think about wine but more specifically, about the bottles we buy on a regular basis.  These are the wines that have passed the Everyman household test, great tasting and great value for money but like the front room walls, have been staring me in the face for weeks without me realising.  It didn't take long for this week's choice to move back into focus.

 

This wine delivers on the nose what I enjoy so much about NZ Sauvignon Blanc.  Very prominent and obvious is sweet and tangy passion fruit which carries well and can often greet you before you bring your nose to the glass.  There is a secondary smell, much less pronounced, which is reminiscent of warm straw and at the end is the tiniest hint of diesel.  I wouldn't go as far as cat's pee with this wine but it is close (yes, this is a desirable trait in a Sauvignon Blanc).  The opening taste is straight from the fruitbowl.  Fresh passion fruit, lime and grapefruit dominate the palate in a smooth and crisp fashion, and there is a mineral edge which plays through towards the end, re-enforcing the crisp acidity before a short and unremarkable aftertaste. 

This is a textbook example of a great Sauvignon Blanc from the new world with a very affable pricetag.  It's easy to see the reason why this stops being a wine and becomes part of the furniture.