2016 Grove Mill Sauvignon Blanc Wairau Valley Marlborough

I admit I’m a sucker for New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, especially as the weather warms up, although lately I’ve been leaning more towards Vino Verdes when I’m looking a simple refreshing, no thought to it, white wine.  I wish Costco would offer some Vino Verde choices, but I have yet to see any near me.

This wine is exactly what you expect.  It’s a grassy, tangy wine packed with citrus flavor, grapefruit and lingering lemon.  The main difference between this wine and the many other Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs that Costco seems to carry in abundance (at least around us, maybe it’s a Southern distribution thing), is the acidity.

These wines can hit you like you just stuck your face in a grapefruit.  Some people like that, and I find it to be a fun change of pace every once in a while.  But the acidity here was a little toned down as far as these wines go, which might make it more accessible for different tastes.

But in the end, I have a hard time enjoying these in cold weather.  They taste so much better on a hot summer day when you’re sitting outside with friends.  I would loosely recommend this wine if everything I’ve mentioned interests you and your preferences, but I likely won’t be buying many more; at least until summer if it’s still around.

The price was $9.99 at my Costco.  Under $10, we also find the Nobilo and Brancott Sauvignon Blancs to be good buys from this region, as well as the Kirkland Ti Point.  Maybe this summer I’ll do a side by side tasting of all these and write it up.

CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 86 points

Costco item number: 473006

Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA (Cumberland)

Alc. 13%