The Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc 2014 is sourced from vineyards located in the Wairau Valley and the Awatere Valley inside the Marlborough region on the northeast corner of the South Island of New Zealand. The harvest took place in February of 2014 (this post was written October 2014), so this Sauv Blanc went from grapes on the vine to bottles on the shelf in a hurry. This is a young Sauvignon Blanc meant to be consumed with the next 3 years, though there is no particular reason to wait a couple of years to open a bottle. Sauvignon Blanc does very well as a young wine, it exhibits bright, lively fruit and citrus flavors with a solid dose of acidity. This wine is fermented and aged in stainless steel vats and the alcohol content is 13.5%.

The color almost clear with a hint of green. The nose is sweet tropical fruit, lush and floral. The Kim Crawford has a nice balance of soft fruit flavors and crisp citrus, with just a touch of sweetness. It tastes of bright tropical fruit, grapefruit, lemon/lime and hint of the grassy character New Zealand Sauv Blanc is known for and a slight herbal flavor around the edges. The acidity gives this wine some excellent length, the flavors have time to unfold. The finish is full and long.

If you want to know what New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is all about, the 2014 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc is an excellent place to start. Everything good about New Zealand Sauv Blanc is exhibited in this bottle. This wine is lush, bright and exuberant, while still showing solid structure and balance. The interplay of the soft and crisp elements add dimension, the flavors are lovely and easy to comprehend. The acidity allows the Kim Crawford to be a food wine (spicy ramen, firecracker shrimp or Chinese with a kick to it), but stays out-of-the-way when sharing a bottle with friends. All in all, a very solid value priced wine.