Let’s talk for a moment about cat pee. Anyone who has sniffed a wine from the Marlborough region of New Zealand knows what I’m talking about – that dank, musty, vegetal smell that winos call akin to Fluffy missing the litterbox. It’s a polarizing taste – people usually either go crazy for it or they believe something to be seriously wrong with the bottle. The Kiwis have embraced it – how else to explain a wine actually called Cat’s Pee on a Gooseberry Bush [gooseberry is another very common descriptor of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc (herein: MSB)]. In fact, chemists have even isolated the sulfur-compound responsible for the aroma [called p-mentha-8-thiol-3-one, it’s common to Cabernet Sauvignon as well, where its iteration smells like blackcurrants]. The flavor profile has even spawned minor controversy when a French Sauvignon Blanc called Kiwi Cuvee was accused of trying to unfairly cash in on MSB’s popularity. I’ll admit it; I’m a sucker for MSB. It’s my second favorite New Zealand export, only to Flight Of The Conchords. I love its grassy, citrusy (and yes, feline urinary) aromas, and its light bodied, zesty, acidic, grapefruit-citrus flavors are my definition of a refreshing summer wine. The benchmark MSB is Cloudy Bay – one sip of it should give you a good idea of whether or not you want to explore the region further.
Today I bring you two bottles from the same New Zealand producer. One, your standard entry level MSB. The other, a more nuanced wine from a grape quickly gaining traction on those antipodean islands. Both are available at Surdyk’s for $10 and $15, respectively. The 2009 Mohua Sauvignon Blanc is a good, relatively cheap foray into what MSB is all about. It relies heavily on that funky MSB nose, has some sweet melon and mushroom components, but comes through the cat pee with a solid tropical fruit smell. It has a light attack and the body is a little heavier than I expected. The taste is not as well defined as the nose, I feel. I got a ton of under ripe pear flavors and a bit of an herbal twang at the end. It’s very drinkable for $10, but it isn’t the best MSB i’ve had in that price range.
In my humble opinion, a better option from that producer is the [above pictured] 2009 Mohua Pinot Gris. The wine is from the Central Otago region of NZ, the world southernmost wine region and one that has made its name on Pinot Noir. But where one Pinot goes, the other is sure to follow. The cool nights in the region keep acidity in its wines reliably high, which this wine benefits from immensely. It’s a very light straw color with a pleasing nose of grasses and cantaloupe. The same melons come through on the attack in a medium-fuller body with limes and healthy acidity shooting straight down the backbone of the sip with some more citrus on the end. Yum. This is a very nice $15 bottle. What I despise about so much Oregon Pinot Gris in this price range is all absent from this wine. It’s on the fuller side of medium bodied, but the acidity and citrus flavors in the wine stay light and lively on the palette.
//#foodpairing – for the Pinot Gris: Catfish tacos. Small corn tortillas painted with sour cream, slices of Catfish [pan fried, 3 min a side over medium-high heat] with a little avocado, lettuce and tomatillo salsa. I would have taken a picture, but it was so delicious I didn’t have time.
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G Sheaves: On The Wall 