WTN: Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc 2011

Marlborough

Bright yellow in the glass.

Rich, with goosberry on the nose.

Medium weight, spicy, gooseberry, lemon, lime, honey, rich, refreshing, fresh. A bit flat in the mouth, IMHO. Could have benefitted from some more zing and zip.

Light goosberry on the mouthwatering finish.

Nothing wrong with this, but nothing right with it either, particularly for the price.

Screwcap closure.

Purchased at $18.95 (Canadian).

don't remember when but Kim Crawford sold the winery a few years back and I have found the wines to be kinda disappointing and thin under the new regime..Wonder if they ramped up the production and diluted the product?

The few times I've tried their wines, I've been underwhelmed, to the point I'd probably turn down a taste if offered.

Yeah, I tried too recently and was not over-impressed. Same with the new vintage Mulderbosch SB from S Africa.

New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs are one of my favorite categories. I would certainly agree that this wine continues to get more and more average tasting. It just seems like there is not much going on. I have been impressed with Vavasour, Cairnbrae, Wither Hills, Villa Maria, and Jules Taylor to name a few. In fact Jules Taylor had been the winemaker at Kim Crawford a few years ago.

I find the Kim Crawford less of a QPR in recent years compared to five or so years ago. I like Wither Hills and Nobilo Icon (more expensive than the basic S.B.) and The Crossings which I will be including at a tasting in July. (I paid $12.99 for The Crossings S.B.)

I'm sure that this isn't news to many, but the Kim Crawford label is one of several owned by Constellation (née Canandaigua), along with Monkey Bay, Nobilo and Drylands. Since their acquisition by Constellation, the House of Nobilo has certainly seen a decline in quality and I'm seeing the same with Kim Crawford. A decade ago, KCW made some good wine; recently, not so much.

Mark Lipton