'Te Muna'

Sometimes being a waiter has its advantages. Advantages like getting to try special, new, limited release wines without having to pay for a seat at the winemakers dinner. Advantages like getting to hear the viticulturist speak about the wines, when said viticulturist is huge, rigorously intellectual and funny to boot.

Craggy Range make some lovely wines and Steve Smith is an interesting listen. Of everything poured the other night I think the 'Te Muna' Sauvignon Blanc 2006 was my favourite. This is Craggy Range doing the Te Koko walk, fermenting the Martinborough juice in French oak and using only cellar yeasts. There's no Malolactic however so the wines is less brulee-like.

Pale in the glass despite the oak and bottle age. The nose is confusingly full of summer fruit, tart apricot and a hint of flint. (This is a wine that had, normally, Sauvignon Blanc haters going yum). A Chardonnay-esque Sauvignon Blanc. For all the full, softness of the nose the palate is citrus overlaying guava. Taut and graceful. A ballet dancer of a wine.