Among the several hundred offers in the O’Briens Annual Wine Sale, three wines from Marlborough in New Zealand caught my eye. It’s a region I know and love, so here are notes on three wines which are a departure from the norm.
Salmon Run Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2025
Salmon Run wines are made by the famous Babich family, though their name does not appear on the label. The label does reveal, however, that the wine was bottled in the UK, so it was probably shipped in tanks to keep costs down.
In the glass this is a touch deeper in lemon colour than the norm, but not by much. The nose is full of green peppers, gooseberry and grapefruit – certainly on the cooler climate influenced part of the Sauvignon aroma spectrum
The palate is fresh, green and zesty, a real wake up call for the mouth. The acidity isn’t astringent, though. This wine doesn’t need food, but it would be great with seafood or SB’s regular partner, goat’s cheese*.
Salmon run is nicely balanced and has a long finish. At the full price of €18.99 I’d be minded to spend another euro on the Astrolabe Sauvignon (also at O’Briens), but at €11.99 this is a very good deal.
- ABV: 12.0%
- RRP: €18.99 down to €11.99
- Source: sample
- Stockists: O’Briens stores and obrienswine.ie
Henri Bourgeois Petit Clos Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2022
I went into some detail on Henri Bourgeois in a previous post so I won’t repeat myself here. In essence, sons of the esteemed Loire winemaker Henri Bourgeois also set up shop in Marlborough under the name Clos Henri. Petit Clos is his entry level Sauvignon Blanc made from young vines on greywacke and clay soils in the Wairau Valley.
Just opening the bottle dispels any illusions that this is a typical Marlborough Sauvignon. As John Cleese would say, “now for something completely different”.
The nose is funky and aromatic, but in a totally different way from a standard Marlborough Savvy. It’s wild and smoky, with lots of gunflint like a silex Sancerre. Age is surely a factor; at over four years old this has had plenty of time to develop in bottle.
It is also very distinctive on the palate. Tangy and grassy, there are also appealing vegetal notes – nettles, perhaps. This wine really is something else.
Those who are fans of typical Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc may find this wine not to be their cup of tea, but it is most definitely mine!
- ABV: 13.5%
- RRP: €23.99 down to €19.99
- Source: sample
- Stockists: O’Briens stores and obrienswine.ie
Astrolabe “The Farm” Marlborough Dry Riesling 2024
Riesling is a highly aromatic grape that is also very terroir-transparent, i.e. the characteristics of a Riesling wine are intertwined with the soils and environment where the grapes are planted. However, there are still commonalities which are shared by Rieslings all over the world.
If I had to pick one single aroma that typified Riesling, I would say lime. For a second, I would say flowers.
This wine has all the limes, all the flowers.
The palate is all about citrus fruits – lime and lemon, but also a touch of orange.
Sweetness or dryness is often a tricky subject when it comes to Riesling. This wine is labelled as “dry”, and would be considered as such if made in Alsace, despite the mid to high single figures of residual sugar. Those few grams are perfectly balanced by the acidity.
This is a juicy, moreish wine with a pleasing crisp finish.
- ABV: 12.5%
- RRP: €24.99 down to €19.99
- Source: sample
- Stockists: O’Briens stores and obrienswine.ie
* Please note that this is not a personal endorsement of eating cheese of any sort…