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The ranga.ranga. Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2022 is a single vineyard (Waverley Vineyard) located in the bluffs overlooking Blind River in the Awatere Valley in southwest Marlborough on New Zealand’s South Island. Barker’s Marque Wines is an independently owned winery that produces ranga.ranga, their “old school” Sauvignon Blanc.
ranga.ranga is the Maori word for “gentle breeze” according to the back label. The 2-22 growing season was perfect in the spring and wet in the summer. too much rain is terrible for the vines and rain during harvest can be devastating, but things dried out and the harvest went off as planned.
The technical notes are great, they mention the clone, Mass Select, and the rootstock, Riparia Gloire. That is information that most wineries don’t bother to tell you. They mention the name of all 4 strands of yeast they used for fermentation They probably used different yeast on different lots of Sauvignon Blanc grapes and then blended them.
The ranga.ranga. Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2022 is fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks at 39 degrees. The grapes were picked on four separate dates from March 20th to April 2nd. It seems some grapes hit optimal ripeness early while most became ready to pick late.
This is a young wine with only a little aging and minimal interference in the winemaking process. The alcohol content is a reasonable 12.5%.
The ranga.ranga. Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2022 Tasting Notes
The color is almost clear, there is just a hint of yellow. The nose is herbs, grapefruit, Anjou pear, a hint of mustard, lemongrass, peach, and tropical fruit. The ranga.ranga. Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2022 is silky on the palate, smooth, subtle, and delicious.
This Sauvignon Blanc tastes like pineapple, grapefruit, Green apple, kiwi, and orange blossom honey. The midpalate shows a salty sensation, tropical fruit, and guava, along with nectarine. The acidity is well-balanced this Sauvignon Blanc has excellent balance.
The Summary
- The ranga.ranga. Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2022 is listed for $14.99, I found it for $13.99 and that is an excellent price for an Estate wine of this quality.
- The flavor profile was not what I was expecting for a New Zealand Sauv Blanc and I was more than pleasantly surprised, this is a very tasty wine.
