Freddy R. Troya

8.9

Growers by Isabel Estate “Common Vine” Sauvignon Blanc 2023
Waihopai Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand 🇳🇿

Overview
100% Sauvignon Blanc from Isabel Estate, one of Marlborough’s pioneering producers. This single-vineyard bottling comes from the Waihopai Valley — a subregion known for being more mineral-driven and restrained than the punchy, tropical-forward styles of the neighboring Wairau and Awatere Valleys. A showcase of precision and purity.

Aromas & Flavors
Zesty citrus, lime peel, and gooseberry meet tropical notes of passionfruit and pineapple, layered with fresh herbs and a subtle stony edge. A vivid expression that balances fruit intensity with chalky minerality.

Mouthfeel
Crisp, energetic acidity cuts through with sharp precision. Light to medium-bodied, refreshingly clean, with a saline, mineral-tinged finish that lingers brightly.

Winemaking Notes
Cold fermentation in stainless steel to lock in aromatics, followed by lees contact for added textural complexity without compromising freshness.

Food Pairing
Excellent with oysters, green-lipped mussels, ceviche, and goat cheese. Also shines with grilled asparagus, sushi, or a simple tomato-and-basil salad.

Verdict
A brilliant single-vineyard Sauvignon Blanc that highlights Waihopai Valley’s distinctive terroir — mineral, sharp, and refreshingly pure. More refined than fruit-bomb styles, yet every bit as compelling. Cheers! — a month ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

Founded in 1932 by Isaac Muga Martínez, now run by Manuel, Isabel & Isaac Muga Caño. Deep Ruby, aromas of sweet red and black fruits with pepper spice, unmistakable Muga. 4 grape blend from the Haro district (70% Tempranillo, rest Garnacha, Mazuelo & Graciano), palate shows cherry and currant flavors with espresso, vanilla & toasty oak tones. Soft full tannins, lively acidity on a medium+ finish ending with an earthy mineral character. Nice value! Great vintage! — a year ago

Frank Lin

8.9

Amazing rich aromas. Great balance of fruit and structure. Wonderful recommendations at Chapeu. Should look for it. — 2 years ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of an hour. The 2013 “Etichetta Bianca” pours a garnet color with a translucent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with fascinating notes of ripe and desiccated fruits: black cherry, pomegranate, red flowers, roasted beef, cedar chest, alpine herbs and rocky earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and savory. Ferrando’s Carema (both white and black labels) are never short on personality and always such a joy to share with others. Drink now through 2043.  — 2 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.5

2021 vintage. Above the average, non lieu-dit expressions of of CDP rouge in terms of pricing. As for the performance? Bad-*ss spicy Grenache riding hard to set the tone. Big spice finish. Light-medium body. Needs air time but for those relatively unfazed/unafraid of tannins, PNP and rock on. Love this producer and the authenticity that shines through in the effort. 02.26.25. — 7 months ago

Eric Urbani

9.3

We tasted nine Minervois Red Blends (Languedoc region of France), an unknown AOC to our group. This was designated a “vin de table” because as a single-varietal, it did not conform to the Minervois arcane AOC rules. I loved it anyways — 2 years ago

Byron C Mayes

8.9

Dark transparent ruby. Abundant nose of rubbery new leather. Backgrounded on the medium palate by juicy black cherry and ripe cranberry. Medium plus acidity. Faint, "just enough" tannins. Classic NZ Pinot Noir with a good balance of fruit and earthy characteristics, though missing the slight salinity I normally find. Made for seafood, particularly salmon or firm crustaceans. Drink now — 4 months ago

Chris MacLean

9.0

More muscle this vintage? — 6 months ago

with Sarah

Jay Kline

9.0

From a lesser known “produttori” in Piemonte. Cantina Produttori Nebbiolo di Carema (what a mouthful) is a tiny cooperative in, you guessed it, Carema.

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of two days. Fairly consistent throughout but I think I preferred the energy on Day 1. The 2016 Riserva pours a pale garnet with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity and no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of pomegranate, slightly bruised strawberry, toe jam (yeah, well…I’m not wrong), alpine herbs, roses some balsamico and rocky earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and saline with a silky texture. Until now, my only experience with the Carema DOC has been with Ferrando’s Etichetta Bianca and Etichetta Nera. While this bottle didn’t have the same drama as those wines from Ferrando, this was a very good example of Carema. Drink now and through 2031. — a year ago

Robert Stackowiak

9.1

Beautiful fragrance. Light cherry, vanilla on the palate. April 2023. — 2 years ago