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Nuala Sauvignon Blanc 2019
WhiteNew Zealand2019
By Daniel Min · Tasted 2020-06-20 · Published 2026-09-30 · Updated 2026-09-30
At a glance
In one line
4.0/5 — lower than Vivino's 4.4 average · world avg price US$22 · A Sauvignon Blanc from a small brand French founders set up in Marlborough, New Zealand.
Neither Wine-Searcher nor Vivino lists a critic score for this vintage. The house's Central Otago Pinot Noir and Riesling each have a Wine-Searcher critic aggregate of 91.
Market note: World average US$22 / 750ml (Wine-Searcher, ex-tax, last recorded Sep 2024). No retailer currently lists the 2019; for other vintages one US retailer shows US$15.29 (2021). On Vivino, of the fourteen vintages with 30+ ratings all but 2010 (3.5) score 4.0–4.5; the 2019 scores 4.4.
Father's note — Daniel Min
Original author of the notes“푸릇푸릇 하네요. 여름엔 말버러 쇼블 제맛이네요. 평점 좋은 쇼블들은 패션 후르츠맛이 항상 나네요. 이건 키위도 있음. 뉴질랜드.”
Show original
“grapefruit lime citrus lemon passion fruit tropical peach kiwi grass 푸릇푸릇 하네요^^ 여름엔 말보로쇼블 제맛이네요~ 평점좋은 쇼블들은 패션 후르츠맛이 항상 나네요~~ 이건 키위도 있음~ 뉴질랜드^^”
What I learned today: even one written word keeps a smell.
Friday. Before the crowd arrived, Minjae came in hugging a cardboard box. Kiwis left over from a store promotion, he said, and set it on the counter. Master Seo picked one up, cut it in half and laid thin slices on a small plate. Then he wrapped a cold bottle in cloth and poured into my glass. Don't eat the fruit first, he said. Smell the glass first.
Grapefruit, lime, lemon. Right after, a sweet tropical fruit like passion fruit. Behind that rose the smell of freshly cut grass. A sip, and the acidity swept once across my mouth. And the same green smell as the kiwi on the plate was in the glass too. That green reopened the same Saturday in June.
Twenty-one, that Saturday night, the first hot day of the year. After clearing the champagne glasses, Dad opened a second bottle. This time he put a paper napkin and a pencil in front of me. Before you drink, write just one word, he said. I brought the glass to my nose once and wrote 'green' on the napkin. Dad folded the napkin and put it in his shirt pocket. Outside the window, insects were singing in the grass. I don't know the name of the bottle.
I opened the notebook to that date. Right below the first line, the one with kkosupda. It begins: "It's so green and fresh." Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is at its best in summer, he wrote. Well-rated Sauvignon Blancs always taste of passion fruit. And: "This one has kiwi too." Four stars. The bottle was Nuala Sauvignon Blanc. I stuck on the wine-name Post-it. Green, and green and fresh. In front of the same bottle, we saw the same colour. I don't know where the napkin went. It probably went into the laundry basket with that shirt.
Eating another kiwi, Minjae talked about the question he gets asked most at the store. Master Seo answered briefly.
After closing, I wrote the name on the twenty-fourth page of the new notebook. At the top, 'green', and beside it in brackets, 'kiwi'. What I learned today: even one written word keeps a smell. And Dad chose that one word with me.
What this wine is
Nuala is not an old house. It was founded in 2010 by French entrepreneurs with decades in the wine trade, set on making good wine in New Zealand and exporting it (per New Zealand Winegrowers). It began in Marlborough, and after a few vintages spent refining quality, this Sauvignon Blanc found its place in several markets. Pinot Noir and Riesling from Central Otago followed.
The label shows an ammonite — a shell turned to stone. The house says the drawing is meant to speak of the wine's minerality and crispness. French founders, choosing New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc from across the world, put a stone on the label before any fruit.
Marlborough sits at the northern tip of New Zealand's South Island. Vines were planted in earnest only from the 1970s, yet today it is the place the world thinks of first at the words 'Sauvignon Blanc'. Strong sun and cool nights give Sauvignon Blanc with big aromas and high acidity.
What the world says
I found no critic review of this vintage. Neither Wine-Searcher nor Vivino lists a critic score.
The community likes this bottle. On Vivino the 2019 averages 4.4 from 472 ratings, and the label as a whole 4.3 from 4,185. There are 240 fours and 176 fives. Of the fourteen vintages with 30+ ratings, all but 2010 (3.5) score 4.0–4.5. The suggested window is 2021–2023 — drink it fresh rather than keep it.
The aroma keywords run citrus, lime and grapefruit (172 mentions), passion fruit, tropical and pineapple (120), gooseberry, grass and asparagus (50), and pear, melon and peach (43). Structure: acidity 4.3/5, intensity 2.5, sweetness 1.5. Light, crisp and dry.
"Lots of gooseberry notes and very pleasant tropical finish." — Vivino review, Jul 2020, 4.5
How I drank it
June 20, 2020, 4 stars. I wrote down grapefruit, lime, citrus, lemon, passion fruit, tropical fruit, peach, kiwi and grass.
It was green and fresh. Summer really is the time for Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Well-rated Sauvignon Blancs always taste of passion fruit, and this one had kiwi too.
The same day I gave Pascal Doquet Cœur de Terroir Le Mesnil 2006 a 4.5, and the first sangria I'd ever tried a 3. My 4 is a little below Vivino's 4.4. Passion fruit appears 42 times in Vivino's aroma keywords, but kiwi isn't in the top five of any aroma group. The kiwi I wrote down that day is a smell the community rarely names.
Vivino community data
2019 vintage rating distribution (472 ratings, average 4.4)
| 5★ | 176 (37%) | |
| 4★ | 240 (51%) | |
| 3★ | 50 (11%) | |
| 2★ | 4 (1%) | |
| 1★ | 2 (0%) |
Most-mentioned aromas
| Family | Mentions | Top keywords |
|---|---|---|
| Citrus | 172 | citrus 63 · lime 41 · grapefruit 32 · lemon 21 · lime zest 5 |
| Tropical fruit | 120 | passion fruit 42 · tropical 42 · pineapple 18 · guava 8 · mango 4 |
| Green & vegetal | 50 | gooseberry 16 · grass 14 · asparagus 9 · bell pepper 4 · green bell pepper 3 |
| Tree fruit | 43 | pear 11 · melon 9 · peach 7 · green apple 6 · apple 4 |
| Spice | 12 | pepper 4 · mint 3 · aleppo pepper 1 · green herbs 1 · lemon grass 1 |
Structure: Acidity 4.3/5 · Intensity 2.5/5 · Sweetness 1.5/5
Average by vintage (all vintages: 4185 ratings, average 4.3)
| Vintage | Average | Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 3.5 | 37 |
| 2011 | 4.2 | 94 |
| 2013 | 4 | 131 |
| 2014 | 4.3 | 177 |
| 2015 | 4.1 | 224 |
| 2016 | 4.1 | 200 |
| 2017 | 4.4 | 460 |
| 2018 | 4.5 | 237 |
| 2019 | 4.4 | 472 |
| 2020 | 4.3 | 753 |
| 2021 | 4.2 | 217 |
| 2022 | 4.3 | 366 |
| 2023 | 4.1 | 294 |
| 2024 | 4.3 | 58 |
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→Frequently asked questions
What kind of wine is Nuala Sauvignon Blanc 2019?
A 100% Sauvignon Blanc white from Marlborough, New Zealand, from a brand founded in 2010 by French entrepreneurs. The 2019 scores 4.4 on Vivino (472 ratings), at 13% alcohol.
How much does it cost?
Wine-Searcher's world average is US$22 per 750ml (ex-tax, last recorded Sep 2024). No overseas retailer currently lists the 2019; other vintages start from US$15.29 (2021, USA).
What food goes with it?
The Vivino community suggests shellfish, vegetarian dishes and goat's cheese. High acidity and a grassy note suit oysters, grilled asparagus and herb salads.
What is the drawing on the label?
An ammonite — a fossil shell turned to stone. Nuala says it chose the image to express the wine's minerality and crispness.
Links & sources
View on Vivino · Prices on Wine-Searcher
- Vivino — wine page and community data
- New Zealand Winegrowers — Nuala
- Wine-Searcher — 2019 Nuala Sauvignon Blanc
Read next
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Tasted the same dayPascal Doquet Cœur de Terroir Le Mesnil-sur-Oger Grand Cru 2006
France · Champagne★★★★½Same producerMollydooker Blue Eyed Boy Shiraz 2018
Australia · South Australia★★★★★Same producerTussock Jumper Pinot Grigio
Italy · Veneto★★★½☆Same producerNapa by N.A.P.A., Michael's Red 2015
United States · Napa★★★★☆Same producerTwo Hands 'Samantha's Garden' Shiraz Clare Valley 2014
Australia★★★★½Same producer