2010 Alluviale Blanc

Raymond Chan (www.raymondchanwinereviews.co.nz)
18.0/20, Nov. 2011

The 'Alluviale' brand of David Ramonteu and Kate Galloway is evolving into one that represents Hawke's Bay terroir expressed through the best of traditional winemaking styles used in the Old World, representing the background of the two winemaker owners. The Sauvignon Blanc wines are gaining on the lead that the Bordeaux-styled red has achieved. Here is my review of the latest release, the 2010 vintage. 

Alluviale 'Blanc' Hawke’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2010
A blend of 96% Sauvignon Blanc and 4% Semillon from the Mangatahi Terraces, partially fermented in French oak barriques to 13.5% alc. and <2g/L rs., the wine aged on lees for 14 months. Brilliant straw-yellow with hues of gold to the colour, and a pale rim. The nose is fresh and brash with youthful white stonefruit, nectarine and fresh garden herb aromas along with flinty lees elements. Dry to taste, the flavours of nectarines, herbs and nettles are complexed by subtle spicy, nutty oak notes, and form a good core. The palate is tightly restrained and shows elegance of proportion with good concentration and fine textures. Still fresh and bright, discreet acidity provides a fine cut and carries through to a sustained finish with flinty and smoky nuances. A youthfully fresh, but fine textured and subtly layered wine to match with Mediterranean fare over the next 3-4 years. 475 dozen made.

2009 Alluviale Blanc

Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Advocate, eRobertParker.com #197, Oct 2011
89+

Blended of Sauvignon Blanc 93% and Semillon 7%, the 2009 Blanc gives moderate to pronounced notes of lemongrass, lanolin, honeyed lemon and pineapple over hints of grapefruit peel and lightly toasted bread. Medium bodied and very dry with crisp acidity, it offers a very good concentration of evolved citrus flavors with a long toasty finish. Drinking now, it should have some capacity to evolve further and cellar through 2014+.

2009 Alluviale Blanc

Sam Kim, Wine Orbit (www.wineorbit.co.nz)
91, 4.5 stars

Grapes were sourced from Mangatahi terraces for this distinct white wine. It's predominantly Sauvignon Blanc, with a small amount of Semillon, and partially fermented and matured in French oak. The bouquet is beautifully lifted and fragrant displaying lime zest, dried herb, chalk and a touch of nutty characters. It's concentrated and firm on the palate showing bright acidity and an impressively long finish. Like a great dry Riesling, this wine has excellent tension and fine line through the palate. At its best: now to 2014.

2008 Alluviale Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc 4 stars Reviewed by Bob Campbell

Soft, fleshy and quite flavoursome Sauvignon Blanc with pure nectarine and peach flavours that linger impressively on the finish. Gentle wine with a pleasantly dry finish. Hawke's Bay Sauvignon Blanc doesn't get a lot better than this.

2008 Alluviale Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc 18 1/2 Reviewed by Geoff Kelly 04/09

Lemongreen. Bouquet here is in one sense more complex than the Astrolabe Awatere, in that oak is involved, but in another way it is not so perfectly varietal. Ripe fruit, barrel-ferment, lees-autolysis, and some SO2 are still to marry up, but the direction is clearly towards a complex Graves style. Palate is black passionfruit more than red capsicums, showing good body, great length with the barrel-ferment / new oak component noticeable, again a little SO2 to resolve. This will be exciting wine in a year’s time, and make a fine comparison with wines such as Te Mata’s Cape Crest and Sacred Hill’s Sauvage in Hawkes Bay, as well as the intensely varietal sauvignons such as Section 94 and Te Koko from Marlborough. Alluviale Blanc seems softer than some of these wines, which could help it with food. It is a more substantial wine than the stainless steel Astrolabes, but does not achieve their exquisite varietal definition. Personal preference here, but either way, Alluviale Blanc is a great addition to the ranks of modern sophisticated New Zealand sauvignons. Cellar 2 – 10 years.

Reproduced with kind permission of Geoff Kelly, www.geoffkellywinereviews.co.nz

2008 Alluviale Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc 4 stars Reviewed by Bob Campbell

Soft, fleshy and quite flavoursome Sauvignon Blanc with pure nectarine and peach flavours that linger impressively on the finish. Gentle wine with a pleasantly dry finish. Hawke's Bay Sauvignon Blanc doesn't get a lot better than this.