2004 Bedford Road Estate Sauvignon Blanc

[wondersofwine]

This is from the Marlborough region of New Zealand (next to Renwick property of Cloudy Bay). Owner is Bruce Stapleton who also produces wines from Riversleigh Estate sold under the brand name of Kotare. On WLDG forum we were tasting New Zealand wines for the month of September and this stood out among the Sauvignon Blanc wines I tried (possbily even better than the Kim Crawford which is usually a favorite of mine).
$14.99 at Carolina Wine Company which may be the exclusive source in the U.S. (only one listed on wine-searcher.com anyway). This may be produced only for export to USA and Great Britain and not on the market in New Zealand.
13% alcohol by volume
Pale straw color
Nose mixing citrus with new grass and a hint of mint. On the palate, nicely balanced lemon ice--acids in check. At several Carolina Wine Company tastings this proved more popular than the Cloudy Bay (including with me). Tasted blind I guessed that the wine I thought to be the better wine was the Cloudy Bay but instead it was the Bedford Road Estate.
This paired extremely well with a baked chicken and broccoli dish.
Refreshing, harmonious and tasty. Impressive.