ALL-IN ON BOOK REVIEWS: Do you have a (non-fictional or fictional) book related to wine, spirits, or beer that you'd like reviewed? Contact me!

Sunday, May 6, 2018

Wine Review: Chasing Venus Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2017


Chasing Venus is Matchbook Wine Company's Sauvignon Blanc project. To read all about Matchbook check out my article A Brief History of Matchbook Wine Company, and to see my other reviews of their wine then click here. Right now I'm at the very end of a brand new series of Matchbook wine reviews. Right now I'm in the middle of a brand new series of Matchbook wine reviews. Their Matchbook Old Head Chardonnay 2016 was my wine pick of the month, then I tried their Tinto Rey Rosé 2017, now I'm on their Chasing Venus Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2017, and next I'm cleaning up with Matchbook Cabernet Sauvignon 2016.

Chasing Venus is named after the mission given to the astronomers that traveled with Captain Cook in 1769 to study Venus while he explored the oceans of the Southern Hemisphere, where he discovered New Zealand and Australia. By tracking where Venus was in the sky in these areas during different times, they were able to calculate how far away the Sun is from Earth for the very first time. SCIENCE! Aaaand also death, because Captain Cook wasn't a very nice guy to natives. But back then nobody would have funded such a science project if there weren't some conquering and gains of wealth involved.

The label used to produce a Sauvignon Blanc from both New Zealand's Marlborough and California's Russian River Valley, but now it appears to just be producing the Marlborough one. I reviewed the 2015 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc back in July of 2016, and now I'm about to review the 2017.

This is 100% Sauvignon Blanc with 58% coming from the Comely Bank vineyard (for a tropical fruit profile) and 42% from the McLean vineyard (for the zest). It has a 12.5% ABV.

Just like the 2015 vintage it's so light that there's almost an absence of color. There's aromas of lemongrass, grapefruit, lime peel, and a drop of anise in the back. It's light bodied with a slightly grainy mouthfeel and sharp acidity. There's flavors of grapefruit, lime candy, and a little bit of... did you ever eat paste when you were a kid? C'mon, don't lie. It's been awhile since I've eaten paste but for some reason my brain immediately goes to paste when trying to label this flavor. Maybe it's hummus. I know it's not the most romantic description but it's not a bad thing. It adds some strength and structure to the flavor profile instead of being just a bomb of tart fruit. Then it finishes with lime candy, banana, and a finely grained mouthfeel.

I like it, and I like it better than the 2015 vintage. It's rounded out better as well as having more character. If you're a $16 NZ SB consumer then you'll be very pleased with your purchase!

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING
Price: $16
Rating: 3.5/5 = Satisfying / Recommended (what does that mean?)

The bottle used was supplied free of charge for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.

Newer Posts Older Posts Home

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Labels

*SPONSORED* ABriefHistoryOf Abruzzo Agiorgitiko Aglianico Airen Albarino Aleatico Alentejo Alexander Valley Alicante Bouschet Alsace Apothic Argentina Armagnac Arroyo Grande Arroyo Seco audio article Australia Austria Baco Barbera Barrossa Valley Batman Beaujolais beer Best Of biodynamic blend blog Bogati Bonarda book Bordeaux bourbon box wine Brachetto brandy Bulgaria Burgundy Cabernet Franc Cabernet Sauvignon Cahors Caino Blanco California Campania Canada Canaiolo. cans Cape Cod Captain America Carignan Cariñena Carmenere Catalonia Cava Central Coast certification Chablis Chalk Hill Champagne Chardonnay cheese Chenin Blanc Chianti Chile China cider Cinsault Clarksburg cocktails Cognac Colombard Columbia Valley comics Cotes-du-Rhone Counoise Croatia CSW Dane Cellars DC dessert wine Distill Wars Dona Blanco Douro Dry Creek Dunnigan Hills Edna Valley Falanghina February Felix Hart Fer Servadou Fiano fiction Finger Lakes Folle Blanche formulas France Franciacorta Frankovka Frappato Furmint Galicia Galilee Gamay Garganega Gascony Germany Gewurtztraminer gin Glera Godello Graciano greco di tufo Greece Grenache Grenache Blanc Grillo Gros Manseng Gruner Veltliner GSM guest blog Heroes history horror how to Hungary interview Israel Italy Japan Jerez Kansas kosher Lambrusco Languedoc-Roussillon Left Coast Leyda Valley Lisboa Livermore Lodi Loire Loureira love letter Macon Madeira Madiran Malbec Malvasia Marcillac marijuana Marlborough Marsanne Marselan Marvel Massachusetts Matchbook Mavrud Mazuelo McLaren Vale mead Melnik Mencia Mendocino Mendoza Meritage Merlot Mexico Michigan mixology Monbazillac Monstant Montecucco Montepulciano Monterey Montery Moscato Mosel Mourvédre Muscadelle Muscat mythology Napa Navarra Nebbiolo Nero d'Avola New York New Zealand news non-alcoholic nonfiction Norello Mascalese North Coast Oakville Oregon organic original meme pairings Palestine Pecorino Pedro Ximenez Perricone Petit Verdot Petite Sirah Petite Verdot photo gallery phylloxera Picpoul Piedmont Pinot Blanc Pinot Gris/Grigio Pinot Meunier Pinot Noir Pinotage Pliny podcast Port Portugal Press Release Primitivo product Prosecco Provence quickie quote rakia recipe retail problems Retsina review Rheingau Rhone Rias Baixas Ribera del Duero Riesling Rioja Rondinella rose Roussanne Rubin Rueda rum Russian River Sagrantino Sake Salta Sandanski Misket Sandeanski Misket Sangiovese Sangria santa clara Santa Lucia Higlands Sauvignon Blanc science scotch Sekt Semillon Seyval Blanc Sherry Sicily Somontano Sonoma South Africa South Australia Spain spark Sparkling Spider-Man spirits stemware storage study sulfites Superman sustainable SWE Syrah Tannat Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Temecula Tempranillo Tequila Texas thc The Flash Tinta Amarela Tinta Caiada Torrontes Touriga Nacional Traminer Trebbiano Trincadeira Turkey Tuscany Ugni Blanc Umbria USA Valdiguié Valiant Valpolicella vegan Veneto Verdejo Verdicchio Vermentino Vermont Vermouth Vernacca Vidal Blanc video Vinho Verde Viognier Virginia Viura vodka Walla Walla Washington State whiskey White zinfandel Wildstorm Willamette wine Wine Bloggers Off-Topic wine club Wine Pick Wolverine Wonder Woman Zinfandel Zweigelt