Wine of the week: Whitehaven, 2014 Marlborough, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc

Those racy New Zealand sauvignon blancs - with their sassy note of jalapeño - aren’t easy to replicate.

That’s how Sam Smail, chief winemaker of Whitehaven, near Wellington, New Zealand, sees it.

Smail is behind our wine-of-the-week winner - Whitehaven, 2014 Marlborough, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, at $20. He said what the uninitiated don’t know about the varietal is that it’s truly site specific.

“That’s why it’s so difficult to emulate the New Zealand sauvignon blanc style anywhere else in the world,” Smail said. “Our unique flavor profile is developed because of the conditions we have here in Marlborough.”

The wines produced on American turf also fared well in the blind tasting, with high marks going to Honig and Ehlers in Napa Valley, and Gary Farrell in Sonoma County.

As for the Whitehaven, Smail said he doesn’t try to influence the flavor profile in the winery, but prefers to nurture the grapes in the vineyard.

“I spend a significant amount of time during harvest working closely with several growers throughout the Marlborough region, making sure the grapes will be picked at the optimum ripeness and flavor,” Smail said. “Whitehaven also harvests at night wherever we can, so that the grapes are cold and retain as much flavor as possible.”

The most challenging part of making sauvignon blanc in New Zealand is the brevity of harvest.

“The harvest is so short - only about three to four weeks,” Smail said. “It becomes a real challenge to harvest all of the vineyards at their optimum flavor and ripeness within those few weeks.”

The winemaker’s advanced degrees give him an edge when dealing with Mother Nature. Smail has a master’s degree in chemistry from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. He also earned a post-graduate Diploma in Enology at the University of Adelaide in 1997.

Smail has worked at Whitehaven since 2000, but he’s something of a world citizen.

“Before joining Whitehaven, I worked harvests in Napa, Marlborough and northeast Italy,” he said. “I enjoyed those years quite a bit because I was learning so much by being exposed to the different winemaking techniques and traditions in three really iconic growing regions.”

Smail said it’s gratifying to see so many people in the United States embrace the Whitehaven sauvignon blanc.

“The U.S. has quickly become our biggest market,” he said. “New Zealand is still a small country of just about four million people... If your readers ever find themselves in New Zealand, we invite them to come visit our cellar door in Marlborough and get a true sense of Kiwi hospitality.”

___

This week’s blind tasting: Sauvignon Blanc

TOP PICK

Whitehaven, 2014 Marlborough, New Zealand, 13% alcohol, $20. ????

1/2: This racy sauvignon blanc wins you over because it pushes the envelope. It’s edgy and has sassy notes of jalapeño and lime. It’s a grassy sauvignon blanc, also fueled with bright acid. Brilliant. Quite a few of our local wines were striking, as well.

TASTY ALTERNATIVES

Honig, 2014 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, 13.5%, $17. ????

1/2: A sauvignon blanc with zesty citrus -- grapefruit and lime -- that rides on bright acid. There’s a subtle note of peach in the mix, which makes the bottling even more intriguing. A striking take on sauvignon blanc.

Ehlers Estate, 2014 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, 13.2 %, $28. ????

: This sauvignon blanc has a great quench of grapefruit at its core. What follows closely behind is lemon and mineral. Bright acid. Balanced. Quite tasty.

Gary Farrell, 2014 Russian River Valley, Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc, 13.2%, $28. ????

: A complex sauvignon blanc with aromas and flavors of peach, mineral and lime. Lingering finish. Refreshing.

Geyser Peak Winery, 2014 California Sauvignon Blanc, 13%, $14. ???

1/2: This sauvignon blanc is passionfruit at its best. It also has notes of guava, peach and mineral. The wine is buoyant with bright acid, and it has great balance. A tasty summer quaffer.