2022 Amisfield Sauvignon Blanc Central Otago 750 ml

Some of the very best Sauvignon Blanc is grown in New Zealand’s Central Otago. But very few American wine lovers get to drink it. That’s because only 4% of the rugged region is planted to Sauvignon Blanc. It’s best known for Pinot Noir, which is more profitable in a harsh climate that requires plenty of expensive, hands-on farming.

But the same weather and soil that produces dramatic Pinot allows Amisfield to organically farm thick-skinned, small-berried Sauvignon that’s absolutely PACKED with tropical flavors of guava, lime and gooseberries, buttressed with a jolt of electric acidity. 

Their 2022 is stunning: An estate-grown Kiwi Sauv Blanc with the intensity of Ardie Savea, it’s one of the best bottles of the genre we’ve tried in a while. It earned rave reviews from both Wine Spectator, who praised it as “effusive and intense,” and Decanter’s World Wine Awards, who called it “spectacular!”

Amisfield is one of Central Otago’s pioneering wineries, putting their first vines in the ground in 1988, long before the extremely southern region developed international acclaim. But they saw the potential of the region, which features blisteringly cold winters, hot, short summers, and glacially carved soils. Now they get to reap the rewards of their risk with hard-earned expertise.

Amisfield’s vineyards are certified organic, and organic farming in Central Otago is not easy. The soils are exceptionally friable and easily disturbed, so in-row cultivation—a go-to organic alternative to herbicide use, and a way to introduce nitrogen into the soil—carries bigger drawbacks than other places in the world. But those same soils also provide the perfect conditions for small, intense grapes.