Astrolabe Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2015 [Frankie’s Single Bottle Review #12]

As a wine drinker, it’s always good to revisit favourites – might they have changed, or my palate?  The familiar offers reassurance and a chance to recalibrate.

Here is one of my favourite Marlborough Sauvignons that I have tasted regularly over the past decade – can’t wait to see how the next vintage tastes!

Disclosure: sample kindly provided for review

Astrolabe Marlborough “Province”Sauvignon Blanc 2015 (13.5%, €19.95 down to €15.95, O’Briens)

This is the standard Sauvignon from Simon Waghorn and team at Astrolabe, formerly known as “Voyage” but now dubbed “Province” to reflect the fact that it is a blend of fruit from different Marlborough sub-regions.

Compared to some Marlborough SBs it is on the savoury side, with a little fruit sweetness on the mid palate but a very dry finish rather than the tropical flourish of some.  The technical notes show it has only 1.4 g/L of residual sugar which bears out the subjective style.

The main notes of this 2015 are green bell pepper, gooseberry and grapefruit – there’s a definite tartness to it which would make it fantastic with salad or seafood.  If drinking on its own I’d recommend taking it out of the fridge for 20 – 30 minutes before opening.  This wine really hits the spot!