A benchmark selection of certified Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.
Appellation Marlborough Wine (AMW) has announced its highly anticipated Annual Collection for 2025. First launched in 2022, the initiative celebrates a benchmark selection of certified Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc that showcases the diversity,
quality, and authenticity that define the region.
Ninety-three AMW Certified wines were tasted blind over an intensive eight-hour session by a distinguished independent panel. This year, New Zealand judges Stephen Wong MW and Cameron Douglas MS were joined by Australia’s Toni Paterson MW.
Appellation Marlborough WineTM (AMW) was established in 2018 to protect the integrity and reputation of Marlborough wines. The AMW mark is awarded to wines that meet defined production standards, are verified for 100% Marlborough origin and certified sustainable vineyards, bottled exclusively in New Zealand, and pass a tasting assessment by an independent panel of industry experts.
With more than fifty-five member producers, AMW represents a shared commitment to quality, provenance, and sustainability — reinforcing Marlborough’s reputation for world-class Sauvignon Blanc.
For more information, visit www.appellationmarlboroughwine.co.nz
TAPI 2025
92 Points | $24.95
Part of the excellent initiative from Appellation Marlborough, Their Sauvignon Blanc Collection, the vineyards which provided the fruit here are from the Central Wairau Valley and Rapaura sub-regions. The wine sees 10% barrel fermentation in old French oak barriques with the remainder in stainless steel, before spending four months on lees. Pale lemon in hue, the nose explodes from the glass. We have herbal notes, grapefruits, pears, passionfruit, gooseberries and hints of lantana. Classic Savvy in style, there is good intensity, puckering acidity, impressive focus, energy and length. For enjoying over the next three to four years.
Holdaway Estate Vineyard Reserve 2025
90 Points |
The fruit here is sourced from a single vineyard in the Dillon’s Point sub-region, which is part of the Lower Wairau Valley. Dillon’s Point is a name which has started to appear more and more when one is talking about some of the most exciting wines from Marlborough. Pale straw, this is very much the typical Marlborough Savvy in all aspects, but very much a step up on what we so often see. We have notes of gooseberries, pears, hints of the tropicals, with passionfruit and pineapple, a touch of aniseed and citrus. This is fresh, balanced, clean and of medium length. It will drink well for the next couple of years.
The Paper Nautilus ‘Heritage Block’ Renwick Estate 2024
93 Points | $36
From the Estate’s Renwick Vineyard, the fruit was whole-bunch pressed to an old 5,000-litre French oak cuve. Fermentation is over thirty days and the wine then spends a further eight months on yeast lees. This wine holds a bit of a special place in my heart. I’ve only ever been convinced to go snorkelling once in my life – there is a reason sharks can’t walk on land – on that occasion, I had the very good fortune of seeing a Nautilus chuffing off over the reef. It is a sight the memory of which never fails to bring a thrill and I’m always reminded of it when I see these wines. Yellow straw in hue, an intense and quite powerful style. We have hints of blackcurrant leaves, lemons, dried herbs and citrus. There is a subtle texture, a touch of complexity already emerging, very good balance and impressive length. That lingering finish does appeal. For enjoying anytime over the next four years.
Whitehaven 2025
93 Points | $25
The fruit here is sourced from a range of Estate and grower vineyards. After fermentation, the wine spends around two months on yeast lees before blending and bottling. Pale lemon/green in colour, very much the classic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc nose. This is all tropical notes with blackcurrant leaves, spices, passionfruit and citrus. Finely balanced with a lingering finish, there is a line of gentle acidity running the full journey. Delicious now, it could go another year or two if you must, but there is no reason not to enjoy it now.
Te Pa ‘Oke’ 2024
93 Points
This wine is a blend of 42% Lower Wairau Valley fruit with 58% from the Awatere Valley sub-regions. The juice went to 320-litre French oak cigars for fermentation with a mix of wild and other yeasts. Cigars, you ask? The barrels are shaped in that form to increase oak contact with the juice inside. Maturation was then in neutral barrels for a further six months. A gentle lemon hue, the nose reveals notes of gooseberries and citrus, well supported with dried herbs and hints of glacéd lemon peel. Quite intense throughout with a supple texture, the freshness is key. Juicy acidity runs the length on a medium to good, lingering finish. A refreshing style for enjoying over the next two to four years.
ROHE Blind River by Rapaura Springs 2025
93 Points | $28
The average vine age here is eighteen years. Blind River is described as the driest, coolest and most windswept sub-region to be found on Marlborough’s Southern Coast, which is certainly saying something, given how cold and windy the region can get. Fermentation was in stainless steel and the wine then spent three months on lees before bottling. Green/gold, the nose exhibits notes of citrus, crisp green apples, blackcurrant leaves, gooseberries, glacéd lemons and oystershells. Well supported with a minerally texture, this is clean and focused with a good, lingering finish. Enjoy this anytime over the next four years.
ROHE Rapaura by Rapaura Springs 2025
92 Points | $28
The Rapaura sub-region is located on the flood plain of the Wairau River. Granted that most of the world thinks of this as Ground Zero for classic Sauvignon Blanc, but there is a small number of us who get goosebumps at the mere mention of the Wairau, thanks to the extraordinary brown trout flyfishing it offers. It is indeed a special place. The fermentation was in stainless steel with the wine enjoying a further three months on lees before bottling. The colour here is the very palest hint of lemon. The nose offers notes of herbals, citrus, blackcurrant leaves, gooseberries, green apples and aniseed. Appealing and powerful aromas, they are well supported with a minerally backing. Well balanced, with good direction, the wine is of medium length and can be enjoyed over the next couple of years.
Cloudy Bay 2025
94 Points | $56
Quite simply, this is the most famous wine made in New Zealand and is seen around the world as an iconic Sauvignon Blanc. It has done extremely well to hold that position over many years and is always one of the most exciting releases each vintage. Given the quality of the 2025 vintage, much can be expected. The fruit is from a number of vineyards which are mostly located on the Wairau River Valley floor. Quite how anyone spends their time making wine and not flyfishing in this location is beyond me, but lovers of quality Savvy should be grateful that they do. Fermentation is in stainless steel tanks, with less than 2% put aside for fermentation in large format oak vats. For the final blending, the team looks at eighty different blending components. This year, sixty-one of them made the final blend. Straw/yellow in hue, this is fresh, lifted, clean and well balanced. On the nose we have notes of citrus, dried herbs, licorice, grapefruit, passionfruit and gooseberries. There is an extra degree of refinement here that is not seen in many of its peers. On the palate, we see the emergence of more tropical notes with hints of blackcurrant leaves. There is good length and a fine line of acidity travelling the full distance. A wine that is fresh, with good energy and a lingering finish. Enjoy this anytime over the next four to six years. 94.
Blank Canvas Holdaway Vineyard 2025
95 Points | $33
If for some reason the wines of Blank Canvas have eluded you to date, it really is time you got on board. These guys are making some of the most exciting wines for the region and they are very much behind the push to ensure that Marlborough can be seen as a region making great Sauvignon Blanc, rather than the bog average tankerloads headed to supermarkets and which is then foisted on most of the world. In fairness, those tankerloads are not disappearing any time soon, but it doesn’t mean that there can’t also be some superb examples of the variety made here. From the Holdaway Vineyard at Dillon’s Point in the Lower Wairau, fermentation is in stainless steel with maturation following, on lees. A cracking Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. The colour is lemon/green. This is beautifully constructed, refined and focused, with direction, great length and immaculate balance. The nose offers tropical hints with gooseberries, hints of passionfruit and citrus. A vibrant style which dances across the palate. There is great length here. A wine which can be enjoyed over the next half dozen years. If you like Sauvignon Blanc, this is for you. 95.
Clos Henri 2025
92 Points
The fruit for this Sauvignon Blanc comes from the Wairau Valley sub-region in Marlborough, from vineyards planted in high density. Fermentation is in stainless steel tanks followed by three months on lees. Gleaming yellow in colour, the nose of this provides notes of dried herbs, florals and crisp pears. Hints of gooseberries and passionfruit lurk in the background. This is a savoury style with minerally support and a line of fresh acidity. A wine of medium length for drinking over the next two to four years. 92.
Greywacke Wild Sauvignon 2023
93 Points | $40
Always one of the more complex and intriguing examples of what can be done with Sauvignon Blanc, the grapes were sourced from vineyards in the Southern Valleys and the Central Wairau Plains. After pressing and cold settling, the juice was racked into French oak barriques, including a small percentage which were new. Fermentation was with wild yeasts. The wine enjoyed occasional lees stirring, with around two-thirds going through malolactic fermentation. After six months, the wine was transferred out of oak, but then spent the following six months on lees. Deep yellow hue, the nose reveals tropical notes, including mangoes and guava. Hints of florals waft in the background, alongside notes of oystershells and lime leaves, with a minerally support system. There is some early complexity evident. The structure is seamless, with a line of good acidity. There is a lingering finish to this wine of medium length, and it can be enjoyed anytime over the next six to eight years. 93.
Cloudy Bay Te Koko 2023
94 Points | $108
This really was the wine which initiated a push to complexity and quality for Sauvignon Blanc in Marlborough. These days, the style is not quite so over the top as it was originally, and for me, the wine is all the better for it. The fruit comes from older vines planted on the floor of the Wairau valley. The juice is racked to French oak barrels and large format wooden cuvées. 7% of the barrels were new. The wine spends eleven months in those vessels, on lees, before blending and then a further period in a less oxidative atmosphere. A shimmering yellow, with flecks of green, this is exceptionally well made and a great example of the style, a style that is not always everyone’s favourite but when done well is certainly intriguing. The nose gives forth aromas of mangoes, melons, gooseberries and ripe rockmelons, along with a hint of gunflint. An attractive texture, there is excellent length, fine balance, early complexity and serious persistence. Enjoy this anytime over the next eight years. 94.
