Essay Sauvignon Blanc 2025

This is a wine that checks every box for those who find the aggressive, cat pee pungency of some New Zealand examples a bit too much to handle. From the MAN Family Wines team in South Africa—a project started by three friends who just wanted to make the kind of high-quality, affordable juice they’d actually want to drink at home—this 2025 bottling is a textbook example of balance.

By sourcing fruit from both the warmer Agter-Paarl region and cooler, high-elevation sites in Elgin, the winemakers have managed to capture the full spectrum of the grape. You get the classic herbaceous, “cut grass” aromatics on the nose, but it’s immediately softened by a wave of tropical fruit: think pineapple, passionfruit, and a squeeze of lime.

The addition of a little Semillon and Nouvelle to the blend is the secret sauce here; it provides a creamy weight and a round mouthfeel that you rarely find in Sauvignon Blanc at this price point. It’s dry, it’s zippy, and it’s unapologetically pleasant.