RichD > wrote:

> I saw some New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc at
> Trader Joe's, $8 for 750 ml: Kono, and Picton Bay.
> Anybody know thse brands?
>
> The reason I ask, NZ Sauvignon is fashionable,
> which means pricey. So when I see a bottle at $8,
> I'm skeptical... but TJ is famous for good deals, so
> it might be a steal...

I've tasted a couple of vintages of Kono and found it adequate. It has
some of what makes NZ Sauv. Bl. so attractive: there is a somewhat
understated grassy, citrusy, gooseberry-ish acidity, but no real
pungency of the best Marlborough Sauvignon Bl. Certainly it is no
Cloudy Bay at its historic best, but it perhaps can be compared to
Nobilo, which, though mass-produced, is a good basic NZ Sav. Bl. (and
which used to be attractively priced in the US a few years ago, as I
remember).

Victor