Chasing Venus is Matchbook Wine Company's Sauvignon Blanc project. To read all about Matchbook check out my article A Brief History of Matchbook Wine Company, and to see my other reviews of their wine then click here. Right now I'm at the very end of a brand new series of Matchbook wine reviews. Right now I'm in the middle of a brand new series of Matchbook wine reviews. Their Matchbook Old Head Chardonnay 2016 was my wine pick of the month, then I tried their Tinto Rey Rosé 2017, now I'm on their Chasing Venus Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2017, and next I'm cleaning up with Matchbook Cabernet Sauvignon 2016.
Chasing Venus is named after the mission given to the astronomers that traveled with Captain Cook in 1769 to study Venus while he explored the oceans of the Southern Hemisphere, where he discovered New Zealand and Australia. By tracking where Venus was in the sky in these areas during different times, they were able to calculate how far away the Sun is from Earth for the very first time. SCIENCE! Aaaand also death, because Captain Cook wasn't a very nice guy to natives. But back then nobody would have funded such a science project if there weren't some conquering and gains of wealth involved.
The label used to produce a Sauvignon Blanc from both New Zealand's Marlborough and California's Russian River Valley, but now it appears to just be producing the Marlborough one. I reviewed the 2015 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc back in July of 2016, and now I'm about to review the 2017.
This is 100% Sauvignon Blanc with 58% coming from the Comely Bank vineyard (for a tropical fruit profile) and 42% from the McLean vineyard (for the zest). It has a 12.5% ABV.
Just like the 2015 vintage it's so light that there's almost an absence of color. There's aromas of lemongrass, grapefruit, lime peel, and a drop of anise in the back. It's light bodied with a slightly grainy mouthfeel and sharp acidity. There's flavors of grapefruit, lime candy, and a little bit of... did you ever eat paste when you were a kid? C'mon, don't lie. It's been awhile since I've eaten paste but for some reason my brain immediately goes to paste when trying to label this flavor. Maybe it's hummus. I know it's not the most romantic description but it's not a bad thing. It adds some strength and structure to the flavor profile instead of being just a bomb of tart fruit. Then it finishes with lime candy, banana, and a finely grained mouthfeel.
I like it, and I like it better than the 2015 vintage. It's rounded out better as well as having more character. If you're a $16 NZ SB consumer then you'll be very pleased with your purchase!
Chasing Venus is named after the mission given to the astronomers that traveled with Captain Cook in 1769 to study Venus while he explored the oceans of the Southern Hemisphere, where he discovered New Zealand and Australia. By tracking where Venus was in the sky in these areas during different times, they were able to calculate how far away the Sun is from Earth for the very first time. SCIENCE! Aaaand also death, because Captain Cook wasn't a very nice guy to natives. But back then nobody would have funded such a science project if there weren't some conquering and gains of wealth involved.
The label used to produce a Sauvignon Blanc from both New Zealand's Marlborough and California's Russian River Valley, but now it appears to just be producing the Marlborough one. I reviewed the 2015 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc back in July of 2016, and now I'm about to review the 2017.
This is 100% Sauvignon Blanc with 58% coming from the Comely Bank vineyard (for a tropical fruit profile) and 42% from the McLean vineyard (for the zest). It has a 12.5% ABV.
Just like the 2015 vintage it's so light that there's almost an absence of color. There's aromas of lemongrass, grapefruit, lime peel, and a drop of anise in the back. It's light bodied with a slightly grainy mouthfeel and sharp acidity. There's flavors of grapefruit, lime candy, and a little bit of... did you ever eat paste when you were a kid? C'mon, don't lie. It's been awhile since I've eaten paste but for some reason my brain immediately goes to paste when trying to label this flavor. Maybe it's hummus. I know it's not the most romantic description but it's not a bad thing. It adds some strength and structure to the flavor profile instead of being just a bomb of tart fruit. Then it finishes with lime candy, banana, and a finely grained mouthfeel.I like it, and I like it better than the 2015 vintage. It's rounded out better as well as having more character. If you're a $16 NZ SB consumer then you'll be very pleased with your purchase!
QUALITY VS PRICE RATING
Price: $16
Rating: 3.5/5 = Satisfying / Recommended (what does that mean?)
The bottle used was supplied free of charge for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.
The bottle used was supplied free of charge for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.
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