Well that I certainly agree with you on that one HH
Please just don’t compare a good Sancerre with a shitty NZ Sauv Blanc 
I basically buy NZ and Aussie wines as I haven’t got the knowledge on all the great wines you have access to over there
We do get some really great Italian wines here which I do enjoy
For the price of that Sancerre we could have this, which I’m sure is great, but at 14.5% it’s just too alcoholic. White wines shouldn’t be that strong.
Yes I drink that one HH it’s a beauty I must say
Agree that vintage high at 14.5% but it doesn’t taste that way
Their Pinot Noir is a cracker also
They are the guys that started Cloudy Bay
The other Sauv Blanc out of Marlborough region is Hans Herzog Vineyard ( he is Austrian and has been there now for close on 20 years
His Sauv Blancs are probably the best in my view ( very sancerrish ) but expensive and reasonably rare , occasionally see them here in Sydney but I get mixed cases sent over , he does a fabulous range of wines and they are all top notch
Try the Vinothekenfuellung , anything from Grabenwerkstatt and Ried Klaus from Jamek 
HH, if the air miles are a concern for you then I can highly recommend trying some of the current English whites.
And for anyone who enjoys NZ Sauvignon then an English alternative that you could try would be from just down the road here - Chapel Down’s Bacchus.
You beat me to it Richard!
What’s the matter with Yellowtail?
It helps make lovely gravy
Ashling Park is under five miles from us and their sparklers are very good, as is their Pinot Noir. They also do a Chardonnay, which we have yet to try. That’s even more local than Chapel Down.
Will check, thanks for that advice.
If you also liked Veltliner I had several recommendations and a real good dealer in the Wachau for all varieties who is delivering to Germany for a good price. Just give me a notice
Ah now Chapel Downs wines I have read about Richard
From what I’ve read a few decent drops
So near where you live ?
Yes, we have three very close by, Biddenden, Hush Heath (Balfour), and Chapel Down.
A few years back Chapel Down did some crowdfunding to allow expansion. The shares I bought allow me to have 1/3 off the price of their wines for life. I’m pretty sure I have now saved more than I spent in shares 
That would make them only slightly over-expensive then 
Lol. A few years ago I might have agreed but I think with improvements in quality and current pricing they are pretty competitive even at normal price. But I would say that - I’m a shareholder
Wine producers close to me in Brighton include Chapel Down, Bolney and Kingscote.
Some claims are made that, with global warming, Sussex will soon produce better wines than France.
Definitely worth checking out as they do have a pretty good range from pretty much all global wine regions. While they might not have quite so many bargain bottles as a few years back they do have some very good prices - they are a not-for-profit so that is meant to be channelled into lower bottle prices. They also credit you for any faulty bottles within pusblished drinking windows without quibbling.
Agreed @Bevo - I think the DP Section 94 the most enjotable NZ savvy B I have tried - it is barrel fermented which softens the nettle, capsicum and aspargus notes that are so common in the Marlborough and other NZ SBs - my palate just utterly rejects them. Though it is such a distinctive flavour profile they are easy in blind tastings.
Other than a minerally Sancerre or a semillon blend such as white Graves there are very few SBs I would willingly drink. I would also add in some South African winemakers such as Duncan Savage and Samantha O’Keefe (Lismore) as worth looking at. For those buying their wine at Aldi check the Cambalala sauvignon blanc as it was being produced for them by Duncan. £8 rather than the £20-ish for his Salt River SB.
I think I signed up for that same offer @crispyduck - I have really enjoyed what IU have bought and the saving is well worth it. Not sure the shares will ever produce much though, but you never know.
The other ESWs I recommend are those made by Dermot Sugrue - he has been involved with both Wiston and the Digby estate in Sussex as well as his own releases. Not cheap but definitely as good as some grand marque champagnes.
Fully agree - I think the sparklers he has released under his own name are some of the best I’ve had full stop. Nice guy as well
