2021 Kuranui Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough New Zealand 750 ml

A bottle whose predecessor ranked #13 on Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 Best Buys of 2021, Kuranui proves you don’t have to spend much to get one of the most delicious wines made in the Southern Hemisphere.

This is a mouthwatering beauty crafted from a single vineyard in New Zealand’s beautiful Awatere Valley. The stark region was carved into the earth by glaciers and is the coldest, driest, windiest sub-region of Marlborough. Their vineyard sits on north-facing slopes at 850 feet above sea level, where the elevation and loess-covered gravel soils stress the vines, forcing them to sink deep in search of water and nutrients. Maritime winds act like an air conditioner, extending the growing season to promote a bright, citrus-infused complexity in the grapes.

Our introduction to today’s steely exemplar of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc came when one of our most reliable sources for New Zealand leads—a guy known in the industry as the “Surfing Sommelier”—arrived in town with a few bottles stashed in his suitcase. Our friend’s always on the lookout for clean, racy white wine, and his quest for the world’s best breaks and gnarliest barrels frequently plants him near cutting-edge cool-climate vineyards.

“This is hands-down one of the best deals coming out of Marlborough right now,” he said, tucking a curl of sun-bleached hair behind his ear. “Wine Enthusiast said the 2020 was among the top 15 buys of the year. But I think the 2021 has even sharper clarity and is even more linear—total laser focus. I’m already through most of my first case.”

You’ll be through yours in no time.