I remember when I first tasted this wine, in the late 90s. I came a bit late to Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, you see, but the Giesen gave me an inexpensive taste of what it was about. It continues to be my favourite "reliable" example of the genre, and as 2007 has been talked up in the Marlborough, I was interested to taste this wine over the weekend.
As is typical with this wine, somewhat explosive aromas of cut grass, passionfruit and other astringent fruits leap from the glass. This is a wine that bursts into the room with all guns blazing. It's piercing and characterful and gloriously vulgar. It's also, within the context of the style, balanced and attractive.
The entry shows tingly acid and a sourness that carries through to the mid-palate. Within this light bodied wine, there are intense flavours that mirror the nose, along with a somewhat scouring mouthfeel. There's a deceleration towards the after palate, and the finish is an echo rather than a substantial continuation of the wine's flavour, but by that time, you're ready for another sip anyway.
No great complexity of flavour, then, but it's a hugely enjoyable wine that exists at the more outré end of the stylistic spectrum for "budget" Sauvignon Blancs. Personally, I don't see the point to the softer, more rounded wines that are crafted for maximum acceptability but, to me, represent a denial of terroir and style.
Giesen
Price: $A15
Closure: Stelvin
Date tasted: February 2008
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