When you choose a New Zealand Sauvignon, you should expect great purity of fruit and beautifully fresh gooseberry and passion fruit characters - and this bargain from modern micro-negotiant Smith & Sheth does this in spades. What it won't do is give you that artificial, sweet and sour character that comes from fake winemaking - acidification and added sugar to balance out boring grapes. This is the real soul of 'savvy' and it really delivers on price too. Smith & Sheth is a contemporary négociant inspired by the original French négociants and British merchants who are renowned for creating outstanding wines. Hawke's Bay (Heretaunga in Maori) in New Zealand is the birthplace of Smith & Sheth and the Wairau appellation is where the Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc story started back in the 1980s. The original vines were planted in the stony river terrace soils around Renwick township as well as in the cooler clay soils of the southern valleys. Smith & Sheth source their Sauvignon Blanc from both of these areas and it is only Sauvignon Blanc that is grown in these particular spots. Smith & Sheth hand select only the very best fruit from their exceptional vineyards. They then nurture, blend and bottle the wines. All of their wines express the beauty and character of the place they originate from and embody the passion of the people who make up the CRU team. This 2019 Sauvignon Blanc is a testament to their hard work and expertise.