Blank Canvas Abstract Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2018 $39.99 
Crafted from fruit dry-farmed by the Holdaway family in Marlborough’s Dillons Point sub-region, the ‘Abstract’ is about as far-removed from still-life sauvignon blanc as you can get. It’s like Rothko, Kandinsky, Mondrian and Miro all in one. 100% wild yeast fermented in old, French oak and aged for 14 months, it’s scented with bruised lemongrass, marzipan, dandelion and smoked passionfruit, and those characters then wash across the palate leaving a comet’s tail of quartzy, salty, minerality to finish. New Zealand’s newest Master of Wine Sophie Parker-Thomson and her husband Matt Thomson have created a stunning, super-complex sauvignon that screams out for steamed, garlicky Storm Shell clams drizzled with lemon. Drink now – 2026
