Catalina Sounds Sound of White Sauvignon Blanc (Barrel Aged) 2022 - Marlborough, New Zealand

92/100 Bob Campbell, The Real Review 
90/100 James Suckling (2021 vintage)
90/100 Bob Campbell, The Real Review (2021 vintage)
95/100 Bob Campbell, The Real Review (2020 vintage)
91/100 James Suckling (2020 vintage)
90/100 New Zealand Wine Rater (2020 vintage)
93/100 Angus Hughson, Wine Pilot (2019 vintage)
93/100 New Zealand Wine Rater (2019 vintage)
93/100 The Wine Front (2019 vintage)
90/100 World Wine (2019 vintage)

5 Stars - Michael Cooper's Buyer's Guide (2019 vintage)

Gold - Asia Wine Challenge (2019 vintage)
Bronze - International Wine Challenge (2019 vintage)

Bob Campbell, The Real Review "Tangy, punchy sauvignon with green apple, lime zest, gooseberry and subtle passionfruit flavours. Sweet-sour interaction creates a bit of welcome tension and helps to drive a lengthy finish."

James Suckling "Fruity, tropical nose of rock melons, papayas, lime curd and passion fruit. Medium-bodied with tangy acidity. Clean and fruity finish." (2021 vintage)

Bob Campbell, The Real Review "Mellow, smooth-textured sauvignon with gooseberry, green capsicum, passionfruit, guava and lemongrass flavours supported by tangy acidity that drives a lingering finish." (2021 vintage)

Bob Campbell, The Real Review "Intense, smooth-textured wine with good weight and mouth-feel from barrel fermentation while retaining strong varietal identity with gooseberry, passionfruit and nectarine flavours. Rich, satisfying wine." (2020 vintage)

James Suckling "Aromas of lemon leaf, fresh straw, flint and grapefruit pith. Medium-bodied. Subtle and nuanced with steady balance. Baked citrus and herbs are characterized by flint and crushed stone. Barrel fermented. (2020 vintage)

New Zealand Wine Rater "An intense, attractive, almost honeyed bouquet su ggestive of the complexing influence of lees and old barrels. There's notes of white flowers, sweet pea, beeswax, vanilla, sage and spice. A soft, lush, mellow, textural wine supported by toasty, vanilla flavours adding complexity. Great consumer appeal for those who appreciate complex Sauvignon styles." (2020 vintage)

Angus Hughson, Wine Pilot "Super wine this and a great example of how well handed oak treatment can add so much interest to sauvignon blanc. You can see plenty of winemaking effort as it opens up with guava and floral aromatics well supported by powerful oatmeal barrel ferment and vanilla bean oak. There is plenty of oak here but it sits nicely in the wine. The palate is then dry and rich – exotic tropical fruits and oak again giving great impact which is then lifted by touches of leesy gunflint. It’s a serious food wine too for fancy veal or scallops." (2019 vintage)

New Zealand Wine Rater "Intensely aromatic, ripe and complex on the nose with alluring aromas of rock melon, yellow plum, lemon curd and white peach complexed by enticing roasted fennel and vanilla notes from oak influence. A generous, hedonistic, rich, textural style showing depth and complexity." (2019 vintage)

World Wine "This is good stuff. It's tempered through the mouth and offers a sense of calm. That calm of the water in the bay before the wind picks up after sunrise. That. Ripples of passionfruit and passionfruit curd early with shades of gooseberry . It's creamy with pastry feels too. But that passionfruit rides high and long. A lemony tang on close seals the deal. Yeah, it's good stuff." (2019 vintage)

Michael Cooper's Buyer's Guide " Bright, light lemon/green, it is mouthfilling and sweet-fruited, with deep, ripe, tropical fruit flavours, finely integrated oak adding richness and complexity, fresh acidity and a long, harmonious finish." (2019 vintage)

Marlborough based award-winning winery, Catalina Sounds is known for wines that harness the purity and vibrancy of Marlborough’s climate and landscape. The name Catalina Sounds evolved from the majestic Catalina flying boats that played a vital role across the South Pacific during and after World War II.

Marlborough is by far New Zealand's most important wine region. Situated at the north-eastern tip of the South Island, this dry, sunny region produces around three-quarters of all New Zealand wine. It is particularly famous for its pungent, zesty Sauvignon Blanc - widely considered by critics to be the best Sauvignon currently produced anywhere on the planet. Commercial-scale viticulture began in Marlborough in the 1970s – it conquered the world within 25 years!

The Sauvignon Blanc taste is one of the most identifiable in the world of white wines for a few reasons. First, it always has crisp, high acidity. Second, it has a chemical compound called pyrazine which gives grassy, herbal or bell pepper flavors. When grown in cooler climates or picked early, the herbaceous green character is most prominent. In warmer climates or allowed to hang longer on the vine, the pyrazine character diminishes in favor of riper fruit flavors ranging from grapefruit, to passion fruit and guava.