Monkey Bay

 

When I couldn’t find Pidgin Bay or Kono Sauvignon Blanc, I tried the Monkey Bay.

It was just okay.

It didn’t have the slight effervescence of the Kono. It did have the light and crisp notes I like in a Sauvignon Blanc, but it wasn’t quite there.

I’d have it again, but only if there was no Kono. Which I hope will never happen again. I’ll be stocking up when I see it at Trader Joe’s again.

Seaching for New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs

I went back to Trader Joes for more of that lovely Kono.

Yep. Gone. The tag was on the shelf but that was it.

I headed to BevMo.

No Kono.

I bought a Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc.

I’ll let you know…

Sauvignon Blanc Tasting

While having appetizers with friends recently, Wine Snob Friend Tom pulled out three Sauvignon Blancs and we did a tasting. All three were New Zealand wines. The tasting was blind.

The comments are from all of us.

#1 -- Pidgin Bay, 2009. I liked this one a lot. It had a sparkly beginning on the tongue, almost like a sparkling wine or Champagne. Strong citrus notes on the finish. (This is what I wrote down but I can't find a link or any winery in NZ named Pidgin Bay, so either I wrote it down wrong or I'm keeping the buying info to myself).

#2 --King Shag. No one cared much for this one. It had little flavor, little interest, and was met with shrugs.

#3 -- Kim Crawford, Marlborough New Zealand. Very nice. Almost the opposite of the Pidgin Bay. With the Crawford, the citrus flavors were up front and the sparkling texture was saved for the finish.

WSFT (Wine Snob Friend Tom) commented about a really nice New Zealand wine he'd been told about. Cloudy Bay. He did not offer us any. He did not offer to find it for us. He merely teased with it. I'll keep a look out for it and try to get a bottle to taste.