2024 Astrolabe Kekerengu Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough

Perfumed with delicate floral notes over ripe citrus, this taut and linear sauvignon blanc unfolds on the palate to savoury tomato leaf and flint as it proceeds towards the long, slightly salty dry finish. A delicate and detailed style which is very light on its feet 20 Dec 2024 Drink 2024–2026

92 points Stephen Wong MW therealreview.com

Astrolabe’s Kēkerengū Sauvignon Blanc is one of Marlborough’s most distinctive and expressive single-site wines—a wild coastal beauty that captures the wind-swept edge of New Zealand’s South Island. Winemaker Simon Waghorn is a master of detail and precision, and this wine is his ode to one of the country’s most extreme Sauvignon Blanc growing areas. Kēkerengū is located well south of the main Marlborough valleys, perched close to the Pacific Ocean, where limestone-rich soils and salty sea breezes shape fruit of rare tension and minerality.

This is not your typical tropical-fruit bomb Marlborough style. The Kēkerengū bottling is tighter, sleeker, and more linear. Aromas are pure and lifted—lime zest, elderflower, grapefruit pith, green herbs and crushed seashells. On the palate, it’s electric: bracing acidity, stony minerality and a crystalline citrus drive, all wrapped in a delicate saline thread that echoes its coastal origins. Fermented in stainless steel with a portion left on lees for texture, it’s precise but far from sterile—this is Sauvignon with soul and a salty snap.

For food, think oysters with mignonette, grilled prawns with lime and coriander, or goats’ cheese and asparagus salad. It also sings with Vietnamese or Thai dishes—anything with lemongrass, fresh herbs and a little heat.