We were in a winemaker’s cellar in Sancerre when we first tasted St. Lukes. Ten of us were participating in a blind tasting featuring 15 Sauvignon Blancs, mostly from top producers of Sancerre and Pouilly Fume. The wines were all neatly robed in linen. The glassware was Riedel (big ones). We tried to stay away from the fresh goat cheese, but it was no use. That stuff is just too good with world class Sauvignon Blanc.

Each wine was from the 2006 vintage, an excellent one in the eastern part of the Loire Valley. Lots of rich, sinewed Sauvignon Blanc with terrific minerality and endless length. Each of us made two lists. The first was our guesses as to which wines were from the New World. The second was our ranking, one to fifteen.

We correctly identified two New World ringers (as did most of the other tasters): Cakebread and Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc. Both wines were rich and intense, but they seemed out of place and out of balance compared to others. The composite rankings were as follows:

1. Didier Dageuneau “Silex” 2006
2. Domaine de Carrou Sancerre “La Jouline” 2006
3. Domaine Ricard “?” 2006
4. St. Lukes Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2006
5. Domaine Vacheron Sancerre “Les Romains” 2006

(Cloudy Bay finished 8th, Cakebread, 12th).

St. Lukes? — a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc that not only finished in the top five, but completely fooled a tasting panel largely made up of Loire Valley winemakers? “Silex” might have finished on top, but St. Lukes was the wine that raised all the eyebrows. We wrote down the name, went online back at the hotel, and found the winery’s boutique import arm in LA. After a few hours on the phone with co-owner Andrea McBride, we came to understand why St. Lukes 2006, really a remarkable and ingenious New Zealand experiment, finished #4.

Three Tons Per Acre
St. Lukes is drawn from several of the oldest vine parcels from this family-owned Marlborough estate that has fast become one of the most coveted grape sources in New Zealand. Located in Spring Creek, close to the ocean, summer temperatures in this unusual microclimate vary up to 35 degrees per day. Most interesting is the ingenious natural irrigation system conceived of, and implemented by founders Graeme Gilles and Graeme McLean. Pure natural springs slither beneath the topsoil, rising to the surface in different spots. By installing a pump house on the river, a storage dam, and over 30 miles of irrigation pipe, the vineyards are irrigated naturally, with pure water bubbling up to the surface, retained by a layer of mulch spread along the topsoil.

The top wines of Sancerre are farmed to about four per acre. Most of the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc imported to the US is farmed to seven or eight tons per acre. For St. Lukes, the vines are farmed to just three tons per acre (less than most Sancerre), dramatically spiking natural concentration. One low yielding, dry-farmed vineyard site is primarily responsible for the wonderfully vibrant passion fruit and ripe citrus aromas and flavors that distinguish this captivating Sauvignon Blanc.

Tasting Notes
“Pale greenish color. Vibrant aromas of passion fruit and ripe citrus fruits. Wonderful attack on the palate with layers of tightly knit tropical fruit flavors. Excellent length with great crispness and vibrancy. Fine minerality and balance. Just a hint of residual sugar balances firm acidity. Drink now-2010.”
–WineAccess Travel Log