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Price: $22.49 @ Blanchards
Recommended by: Our love of the Gewurztraminer grape
Comments: This is the first Gewurztraminer we have tried from New Zealand. We love the Sauvignon Blancs from the Marlborough region and were eager to give this wine a chance. Like the other wines we have tried from this region, Mahi is bold. Not much subtle here. However, it wasn't so much citrusy as it was flowery. It had a really strong rose flavor. I almost didn't believe Rob when he took his first sip and said, "rose petal." I thought he pulled that out his rear end. But it is indeed very rosy. If you're not into flowery wines, we would skip this one. You can taste the spicy side of this wine when pairing it with spicy food (it went well with the ethnic spices we rubbed on the swordfish). Otherwise, it's mainly rosy with a bit of citrus. We probably won't buy this one again, especially given the price. We'll take our Chateau Ste Michelle over this any day.
Rating: 6.5/10
Price: $9.99 at Trader Joes
Recommended by: It was a gift! Thanks, neighbors!
Comments: Well, the end of the summer is near, but it's not too late to partake of this happy, summery wine. Oyster Bay exhibits many of the traits that make Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs some of our very favorite wines (Matua, Villa Maria, Nobilo, Drylands). It has a bright, bold nose of citrus and grass, followed by crisp flavors of lime, grass, citrus, and kiwi. It is a bold wine, as New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs tend to be, and was a pretty yummy pairing with our spicy Chinese food tonight.
Rating: 7.25/10
Price: $12.99 @ Wine shop near Charles/MGH
Recommended by: Wine shop employee
Comments: We typically drink (and love) the Sauvignon Blancs from the Marlborough region of New Zealand and, oddly enough, this Riesling bears noticable traits of that grape. This wine is crisp, steely, and grassy, exactly as we have grown to expect of the wonderful Sauvignon Blancs of this region. Indeed, I'm not sure I can identify a single aspect of this wine that suggests it is a Riesling! Perhaps one can attribute this to the unique attributes of the terroir from which this grape is taken or perhaps one would attribute this to the fact that I am blogging about it after having consumed most of the bottle by myself (Karie being away with the family). Either way, this is a wine to enjoy with sushi (as I just did) or with spicy foods that similarly highlight the wine's strengths. I personally look forward to getting Karie's more balanced opinion when we share a bottle after she returns. Cheers!
Rating: 7/10
Price: $9.98 @ Gary's Liquors (West Roxbury)
Recommended by: hype sign at Gary's
Comments: We were blown away by this wine. Matua and Villa Maria have been our favorite sauvignon blancs for a while, and we didn't think that anything could compete with them at that price range. This might. In fact, this might win. Drylands (Marlborough, NZ) has a wonderful grassy opening, followed by a bold, citrusy flavor. Rob thinks it has a hint of vanilla, but I think he's full of crap. :) However, we both agree that it's fantastic!
Rating: 8/10
Note: The 2005 vintage of this wine is #3 in Wine Spectator's Great Values of 2006.
Price: $9.99 @ Trader Joe's
Recommended by: don't remember
Comments: We've had this Marlborough wine several times. We haven't rated it because we like it so much and know we won't forget it. But we'd like to share it with others. Here's the scoop -- buy this wine! It's just as good as Villa Maria (maybe better), but instead of a fierce grassy, lemon flavor it's more of a grapefruit taste. It's particularly great with ... sushi!
Rating: 7.75/10
Price: $10.00
Recommended by: the price
Tasting notes: None, really. It was unimpressive for a Marlborough, which usually contains a burst of fruitiness.
Rating: 5/10
Price: $9.99 (@ The Wine Gallery)
Recommended by: We're on a quest to try as many Marlborough sauvignon blancs as we can!
Tasting notes: Very citrusy (particularly grapefruit), as expected from this Marlborough wine. It's not as powerful as the Villa Maria, but it is smooth, refreshing, and very enjoyable, much like Matua. The bottle label mentioned tastes of bell pepper in addition to citrus, but we did not notice a pepper flavor.
Rating: 6.5/10
Price: $6.99 @ Trader Joe's
Recommended by: the price!
Tasting notes: This wine is very citrusy as expected in a New Zealand sauvignon blanc, but it isn't as smooth or as tasty as, say, Matua (which is a few $$ more), but it is certainly enjoyable. We're not in a hurry to buy this again.
Rating: 5.5/10
Price: $9.99 at Trader Joe's
Recommended by: Patron at the Boston Wine Expo and Oldman's Guide to Outsmarting Wine (see "Recommended Reads" in sidebar)
Tasting notes: Strong flavors of lemon and peaches. It wasn't as smooth as Villa Maria, another Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, but has a great citrusy taste.
Rating: 7/10
Price: $10.79 at Trader Joes
Recommended by: Whole Foods, Columbus, Ohio (if you live in the Columbus area, visit this store -- and visit now!)
Tasting notes: A very powerful fruit flavor of kiwi and other fruits. It's almost overpowering but very good; however, we prefer Matua, another Marlborough sauv blanc.
Rating: 7.5/10
Price: $22.49 @ Blanchards 
