Published by Jeremy.
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It is really hard to beat a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. This region is known for its intense flavor characteristics and strong grassy notes.
Cloudy Bay's Sauvignon Blanc is one of those bottles we see all the time, and figured it was a great time to try on a hot summer evening with pasta and grilled fennel. Not only did this one hit all the Sauvignon Blanc notes we enjoy, and then some, it went remarkably well with the fennel!
Sauvignon Blanc With Minerality
This New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc was pale lemon in color with medium aromas of pear, peach, elderflower, grass, wet stone, lemon, lime, peach rings, and pineapple.
On the palate, it was dry with high acidity, medium alcohol and body, medium(+) flavor intensity, and a long finish. We had flavor notes of lemon, lime, grass, pineapple, pear, wet stone, toast, peach, white blossom, grapefruit, and a hint of beeswax for a bit of nice texture to round things out.
For us, this one had everything we enjoy about a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, and had some nice mineral notes and texture to go along with it. A nice representative bottle all around!
Sauvignon Blanc Food Pairing – Pasta with White Beans and Fennel
We paired this New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc with pasta with a white bean sauce and grilled fennel on the side, as we thought the bright acidity would work nicely with the rich pasta.
The pasta dish itself held its acidity and had a nice spike in peach notes which was pleasing with the dish, even if notable flavors didn't change too much as a pairing. The fennel, on the other hand, was interesting. This one brought out more earthy notes and other slightly vegetal characteristics that we quite enjoyed. If you can plan a dish with fennel, this was our favorite match!
Score: 3.5 / 5
We'd buy a glass of this one, and a bottle with the right pairing.
Overall, Cloudy Bay's Sauvignon Blanc is quite the representative bottle from Marlborough but also had a nice mineral and textural element that provided a nice pop. As such, we'd always be happy to have another glass.
Cloudy Bay is located at 230 Jacksons Road in Rapaura, NZ 7273. We purchased this bottle from Wine.com and enjoyed it in 2025; however, at the time of publication, it was out of stock.
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