2024 Crowded House Sauvignon Blanc

100% Sauvignon Blanc. Cold stainless-steel fermentation for purity and crispness. Lees contact for texture and palate weight. No oak aging (preserves vibrancy). 13% alcohol. 

This hits the glass with zesty lime, grapefruit pith, and white nectarine backed by crushed river rock and a subtle herbal whisper. The palate is laser-fresh yet not shrill, delivering minerality and citrus purity without the sharp green edge that plagues more industrial examples. Think passionfruit sorbet meets Meyer lemon and a flick of Thai basil. The texture is clean, precise, and refreshingly long, finishing with a saline snap that invites the next sip. A Sauvignon Blanc that remembers it has manners.

Crowded House was founded with a simple mission: make precise, vibrant, honest expressions of Marlborough fruit that reflect place more than marketing. The name nods to New Zealand’s famously lush landscapes and growing population pressures, but there’s no sense of “crowded” in the glass. Think clarity, lift, and tension instead of volume.

The winery focuses on sustainably grown vineyards across Marlborough’s hallmark sub-regions, farming and sourcing fruit where bright acidity, purity of fruit, and mineral drive shine through. Their philosophy leans toward expression over extraction: capture the sunlight, the sea-spray lift, the mineral hum of river stones, and the herbal snap of this southern latitude without turning it into a caricature.

Crowded House remains a boutique, quality-first operation in a category often dominated by giant players with ocean-liner production scale. This is a reminder that small can stand tall in a big world.