By Brooklyn Bill
On Saturday, some friends and I enjoyed a wonderful sauvignon blanc from New Zealand's Marlborough wine region, which is known mostly for its
SBs. (And to a much lesser extent, for its
king shag, which sounds like a royal fucking but is actually a rare seabird.) It was the delicious 2009
Fairhall Downs, which I found to be quite lively and citrusy. (I have to admit that I failed to detect the "
suggestion of box hedge.")
I find that Marlborough SBs are among the safest of wine bets when I'm buying an unfamiliar label. The only characteristic that throws some of them off for me is a strong green-pepper flavor. Thankfully, the Fairhall Downs lands on the thiols end of the
methoxypyrazine/thiols SB spectrum.
The sticker price was $16.99 at Shawn Wine & Spirits. I'll be picking up more.
