Hello again fellow winos!
In only my second blog on grape-related matters, I am again singing the praises of a sauvignon blanc - or, 'Savage John' as my good friend, Chainee-Gai, calls it.
Some of you may be asking: 'Will the real wine Plonker please stand up?' as I have always been one to extol the virtues of chardonnay and would not entertain talk of any other variety of white wine. In fact, I was an intensely passionate and fully-paid-up member of the 'NBC' Club (Nothing But Chardonnay, thank you very much!) until very recently.
However, of late, I have begun to appreciate a good Savage John, and am slowly expanding my mind, and palate, to discover more about this drop.
NZ's Marlborough region is widely regarded as the world's top spot in which to grow savvy blanc (although some Francophiles, I am sure will dispute this claim)... About 12 months ago my Dad recommended a savvy from this region called The Ned, which I initially thought sounded more like an Aussie drop, than a Kiwi one. However, I have since discovered it is in fact named after the summit of Malborough, and not the infamous bushranger.
The man behind The Ned is Brent Marris, the same chap who produced the divine Wither Hills sauvignon blanc. The Ned retails at about 7 bucks less than the Wither Hills, however quality is not compromised one little bit.
Keep your eyes posted and you should be able to grab The Ned for around $16 a bottle (and even less if buying 6 or more) – unheard of for a better-than-average Marlborough savvy. (In fact, prior to my introduction to Ned, the only Marlborough savvies I could find in this price range were uninspired and generic-tasting, with appalling names such as ‘Crouching Kiwi, Hidden Flavour’ or ‘Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc’ or something similarly unoriginal.)
The Ned kicks all these crass pretenders to the kerb, and back again! In Brent Marris own words: ‘I have created this amazing wine, packed with ripe herbaceous notes, underpinned with a striking hint of citrus.’ I absolutely second that!
So, do yourself a favour, grab a bottle or three, chill to perfection, and get amongst it!
Trust me - this Ned will ‘have you at hello.’
Yours in Plonk
The Plonker
2 comments:
nice review. agree wholeheartedly re sir ned.
as it's the winter months, i'd be awfully keen to hear your thoughts about shiraz, as i'm giving it a go, but have no idea where to start.
Ah-ha! Chainee-Gai LOVES Savage John! Chainee-Gai is a bit cold out of his home town of Beijing and wonders if there is something that Plonker would suggest to combat the chill (of the "grape" not "hot-water-bottle" variety?)...
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