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The Brancott Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2020 is the first winery to plant Sauvignon Blanc grapes in the Marlborough Region of New Zealand’s South Island. In 1973 the Montana Winery (now Brancott Estates) planted the first Sauv Blanc vineyard, and by 1979 they had their first wine. The rest, as they say, is history.
Brancott Estates are now part of the Pernod Richard portfolio. While no longer an independent winery, they still have their own production facilities and large vineyard holdings in New Zealand. I have read that they produce 1,000,000 cases of Sauvignon Blanc each year. A case holds 12 bottles, so their wines are popular worldwide.
High-volume wines are often found at discounted prices. The Brancott Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2020 lists at twelve dollars, but I found it on sale for $6.99. Brancott has several tiers of Sauvignon Wines, and this is the standard or classic level.
Brancott Estates is not overly generous with the technical production details. The Brancott Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2020 is sourced from mainly contracted vineyards; at this production volume, you need many vineyards to meet the demand.
This is a young wine meaning it did not receive much aging and is not meant to be cellared; it is best to drink sooner rather than later. This is a southern hemisphere wine which means their grapes become ripe in what would be our spring. A 2020 vintage will have about six months more age than a 2020 California wine, depending on when the wine is released for sale.
As a descendent of the first Marlborough New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, the Brancott Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2020 figures to be a classic New Zealand White wine. The alcohol content is a ripe 13%.
Brancott Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2020 Tasting Notes
The color is a pale wheat beer yellow with a slight green tint. The nose is excellent, melon, lemon, peach, pear, apple, lightly spiced, and a little grassy, with a late hit of tropical fruit. These are scents that compel you to take a sip.
The Brancott Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2020 has an interesting array of flavors, cool and sleek upfront that builds to some sharper textures. It tastes like peach juice mixed with grapefruit, pineapple, lime, pear, and salty. The mid-palate shows tart green apple, a bit of cream, and very tart, slightly sour (in a good way) lemon. It is not particularly grassy like many value-priced NZ Sauv Blanc.
The Summary
- I really enjoyed sipping the Brancott Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2020, and that this Sauv Blanc had a lineage that went back to the first Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc made the experience special.
- At the price that I found it, $6.99, this wine is a major bargain.
- But I would not balk at paying the $12 list price, this is an excellent Sauv Blanc, a real crowd pleaser.
