After significant success in the UK over the last 18 months, including a ‘Master’ from the Global Sauvignon Blanc Masters, the latest vintage of Blind River’s Tekau shows continued form with a gold medal at the 2019 International Wine Challenge.

A single vineyard wine from the company’s Awatere Valley vineyard, Tekau is a limited release Sauvignon Blanc that is fermented in barrel and with only wild yeast. The judging panel’s comments, led by Sam Caporn MZ and Helen McGinn, mentioned, “Attractive, lush, gooseberry aromas and flowers, peaches, guava and a textured finish.”

New Zealand wine writer, Bob Campbell MW, noted, “Deliciously rich, weighty sauvignon blanc with concentrated tree fruit, citrus, honey and spicy oak flavours. A seamless and appealing wine with character and class.”

Patrick Schmitt MW commented on the 2016 on the Drinks Business website in May of this year, “If you like classic Marlborough Sauvignon, it won’t disappoint, as this top expression from Blind River still has a touch of those crunchy fresh characters that so many wine drinkers love, particularly lime zest and bell pepper, but also a slightly oily mouthfeel, and a touch of exotic fruit, from peach to passion fruit, along with a subtle nutty, gently toasty character.”

He concluded, “In essence, this is a more complex style of Sauvignon, more serious if you like, that could still be enjoyed on its own, or with white meats and oily fish, and a welcome, well-made addition to the world of Sauvignon, which is often wrongly deemed one-dimensional in character.”