Matt Thomson is a winemaking wiz. He was voted White Winemaker of the Year at the 2008 International Wine Challenge in London (I was co-chairman at the competition) and is a consultant winemaker to Saint Clair, Mudhouse, Lake Chalice and Cape Campbell. Delta Vineyard was established to make top Marlborough Pinot Noir but strategically added international calling card, Sauvignon Blanc, to its list.

Matt dropped by with three newly released or soon-to-be-released wine samples that are worthy of note.

Delta 2008 Sauvignon Blanc $22 – I’ve just tasted well over 200 examples of NZ Sauvignon Blanc and this certainly ranks amongst the best. It’s a pretty wine with beautifully pure mineral and redcurrant flavours that escaped the worst of unseasonable rain thanks to Matt’s early warning system – a hotline to Astrolabe winemaker, Simon Waghorn and a sophisticated weather tracking system. 90 points

Delta 2007 Pinot Noir $25 – I have two Pinot Noir bugbears. I hate people who see a Pinot Noir with a light colour and write it off before they taste it. Some delicate wines have great power. Worse than that are winemakers who over-extract Pinot Noir to compensate for its light colour. They too often turn a charming wine into a tough and tannic beast. This light but superbly powerful wine is utterly charming. It has beautiful floral and mineral flavours that linger tantalisingly on the palate. Well priced. 90 points

Hatters Hill 2007 Pinot Noir $40 – (due for release in March). A beefier version of Delta Pinot Noir with more of everything – fruit, oak and power. Great purity and an impressive linear flavour profile that leads to a very long finish. It’s a better wine than Delta but I’d prefer to drink it’s younger brother now. 93 points.