The Marlborough region of New Zealand is known for its vibrant, fresh and aromatic Sauvignon Blancs. With the unofficial start of summer on Memorial Day just past us, now is the time to chill down a bottle or two for those hot days ahead. This week’s Tasting Highlights features 9 wines worth seeking out for your next barbecue or weeknight meal. It’s a solid mix of bottlings from family-owned wineries and larger producers, and they’re all great values to boot.

Greywacke’s 93-point, $26 Marlborough bottling is a consistent leader in the category. (In 2023, the 2022 vintage was named Wine Spectator’s number 10 wine of the year!) At 90 points, the latest bottling from Invivo also delivers on quality and value. Villa Maria, the largest family-owned winery in New Zealand until it changed hands in 2021, continues to make quality wines, especially the Taylors Pass single-vineyard bottling. All of these wines showcase New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc’s continuing upward trajectory—and its pure, crowd-pleasing deliciousness.

Read on to get our expert scores and full tasting notes for these wines!

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