Babich Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough Black Label 2023

That wine was so undeniably amazing. It was treated to a hit parade of big scores usually reserved for top Napa Valley Cabernets. A 92-point Best Buy designation from Wine Enthusiast, a 93-point score from Europe’s top critic, Decanter, and taking the cake — a rave 93-point review from Wine Spectator. The latter went back at the end of the year and decided that the wine was in fact good enough to be #21 on their list of best wines out of over 20,000(!) and the #1 rated New Zealand Sauv Blanc of the year.

So if you think I am going to sit around and not offer this beauty as soon as the 2023 hits port, you do not know me very well. The wine hit port on Tuesday and went to the warehouse on Friday. And here I am, all within a week, offering up what will almost certainly be the best New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc we offer again this year too. 

The Babich Sauv Blanc Marlborough Black Label 2023 is fresh and supple, with white flower notes to complement fresh apricot, key lime, grapefruit zest, lemongrass, and citrus flavors. It’s the depth and energy that I can rarely find outside of the best hills in Sancerre, all braced by a mineral zip that ties it all together to perfection.