Vinous editor Rebecca Gibb MW has compiled her comprehensive report on New Zealand white wines, entitled ‘New Zealand Whites: Never Gonna Give You Up’, following her trip in February this year, and extensive tasting in the UK over the past 12 months. 325 wines were reviewed and we are absolutely thrilled to announce our Blank Canvas Abstract Three Rows Sauvignon Blanc 2021 was rated the number one wine in the report with a 96 point score. 

The 2024 Holdaway Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc was the highest scoring classic Sauvignon Blanc and highest scoring 2024 NZ Sauvignon Blanc in the report with 94 points, while the 2023 Reed Vineyard Chardonnay was the equal highest scoring New Zealand Chardonnay alongside incredible company including Pyramid Valley, Felton Road and Elephant Hill.

These scores and rankings are seriously exciting, but we are just as elated with the incisive commentary from Rebecca – whose palate, as a Madame Bollinger prize winner (awarded to the individual with the best Master of Wine blind tasting marks that year), is very much respected internationally. Speaking of the Abstract Sauvignon Blanc she exclaims “White Bordeaux fans, get your coat; you've scored.” Adding further that this is “…a gorgeous, rich, full-bodied mouthful of intensely concentrated barrel-fermented Sauvignon. This is curvy, suave and sophisticated.”

Rebecca goes on to single out the 2024 Holdaway Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc in the producer introduction as “a real stand-out in the vintage, providing fine aromatics, line and length.” She remarks that it “[is] a vivid, vibrant, crisp and crunchy expression. It's finely flavored but not overt: expect a salty note like the sea air, lemon, passion fruit and snow pea flavors lending back up.” Of the Reed Vineyard Chardonnay, Rebecca notes the wine’s “piercing personality and a line of acidity that sings through its pure core.” She says to “expect substance and richness of texture on the mid-palate and through to the finish. Savory, smoky flavors and touches of white stone fruit and citrus linger long.” 

Examining the 2023 Gruner Veltliner and awarding it a 92-point score, she playfully suggests that “even an Austrian would be proud to have made this,” noticing its “savoury, structured and strident” nature. The 2024 Anandale Farm Riesling (91 points) “welcomes you like an old friend” according to Rebecca, “with a burst of immediate sweetness before it provides its firm line of acidity, skewering the wine’s core.” Finally, Rebecca mentions the concentrated and attractively chewy expression of the ‘Tano’ Chardonnay 2023, stating “you can enjoy this now, but it will be delicious over the coming four to seven years, at a minimum.” 

Summary of scores & producer review:

“Founded in 2013, Blank Canvas is one of Marlborough’s most exciting labels to emerge in the past decade. I have yet to find a wine from Blank Canvas that I wouldn’t recommend wholeheartedly. Marlborough-based international wine consultant Matt Thomson and his wife Sophie Parker-Thomson the pair buy fruit and make the wines at a contract facility, but don’t get snobbish about that. The influence of Thomson’s yearly trips to make wine in Europe is reflected in the restraint and elegance of the Blank Canvas wines. This is natural winemaking without faults, done with cloudy juice, wild fermentation and no filtration. The 2024 Sauvignon Blanc is a real stand-out in the vintage, providing fine aromatics, line and length. If you think you don’t like New Zealand Sauvignon, the Abstract cuvée will change your mind. The current vintage 2021 Abstract, from a low-yielding season, delivers ample intensity and concentration. The 2023 Reed Chardonnay is funky rather than fruit-filled, but it is another success from the Blank Canvas white stable. This producer has quickly established itself as a player in the upper echelon of the Marlborough premier league.”

• Blank Canvas ‘Abstract’ Three Rows Sauvignon Blanc 2021 – 96 Points (Highest Scoring NZ White Wine in the report)
• Blank Canvas Holdaway Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2024 – 94 Points (Highest Scoring Classic Sauvignon Blanc & Highest Scoring 2024 Sauvignon Blanc)
• Blank Canvas Reed Vineyard Chardonnay 2023 – 94 Points (Equal Highest Scoring New Zealand Chardonnay), alongside Pyramid Valley Lion’s Tooth 2023, Pyramid Valley Field of Fire 2023, Felton Road Block 6 2023, Felton Road Block 3 2023 and Elephant Hill Sea and Salome  2022 Chardonnays).
• Blank Canvas Gruner Veltliner 2023 – 92 Points (Highest Score for Gruner Veltliner)
• Blank Canvas ‘Tano’ Chardonnay 2023 – 91 Points
• Blank Canvas Anandale Farm Vineyard 2024 – 91 Points

The Antonio Galloni/Vinous Rating Scale

96-100          Exceptional. A profound and emotionally moving wine that exemplifies the very best attributes of its kind. These are the world’s great, iconic wines

90-95             Outstanding. A wine of remarkable personality and breed that is well worth seeking out.