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Ten Sisters Sauvignon Blanc 2010 and Pinot Noir 2009 (Single Vineyard, Marlborough)

It is not everyday that a woman from New Zealand shows up at our door. Would that it were, though between the spastic labrador, two children under the age of five, and the general mayhem any woman of sense would flee immediately.  And there is the Mrs., who has a formidable right hook… But we digress.

Ellie Bartow is a woman of sense, but she is not easily ruffled.  As the managing editor of the  The American magazine, she spends the work week elbow-deep in the heady waters at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), the mighty DC thinktank. (How’s that for imagery, kids!)

But one day in June she donned her vino cap and popped by our digs for the sake of sharing with us samples of Ten Sisters wines.  (Disclosure: We have written for the American.)

Bartow is the daughter of the fourth of the 10 sisters, and runs the family wine business here in the United States.  (How she finds the time we do not know.) The wine is made from her grandparents’ Marlborough vineyard and is distributed in Washington, DC, Virginia, Maryland, and Illinois.

On looking at the very cute label on the bottle, we had a flashback—this wine had been served at the AEI’s annual dinner this past May. We liked it then, and we enjoyed it again.

The Sauvignon Blanc 2010 landed a silver medal at the 2010 San Francisco International Wine Competition. We are not surprised—this white wine is delightful, showing tart pear, toast, and floral notes.  It is a steal at $15. (Rating ****1/4) The Pinot Noir ($26.99) is a lush amalgam of red fruit, blackberries, vanilla, cedar, and earth. (Rating ****)

Best to grab some quickly—only 4,000 cases of the Sauvignon Blanc were produced, and 200 of the Pinot Noir.  Further details are at http://www.tensisters.co.nz/.

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4 thoughts on “Ten Sisters Sauvignon Blanc 2010 and Pinot Noir 2009 (Single Vineyard, Marlborough)

  1. Looking for the ten sisters wine for a christmas present how can i get it? please reply asap i live in massachuesttes

  2. alcoholreviews says:

    We’re just the reviewers—we do not know. But you can contact Ten Sisters at Contact[at]tensisters.co.nz

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