Whitehaven

With the exception of Chablis and a few very expensive white Burgundies, this is my favorite white wine. Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc. It's usually my birthday wine, but Heather came home with a bottle of it specially for Christmas Eve and that was pretty much the sweetest thing ever.

I love Sauvignon Blancs that are super crisp and acidic, and taste of tropical fruit. There are very few American SBs that show up like that, I think because California loves to oak everything. Geyser Peak from Sonoma being an exception.

The Marlborough region of New Zealand has developed a style of Sauvignon Blanc that is racy and fruity and hits your mouth like a zippy tropical explosion. The first NZ wine I remember like this was Cloudy Bay, which is still excellent but its popularity has sent the price into the stratosphere. Nobilo and Villa Maria make pretty good versions too, and you can get them at Trader Joe's, but they are still nowhere near Coudy Bay or my beloved Whitehaven.

Whitehaven is every bit as good as Cloudy and the bottle Heather got was only $15. Which is very cheap for this kind of awesomeness.

Thanks Heatherbaby!