There’s no doubt that dry white wines are back in style. For years, wine newbies gravitated to sweet, oaky Chardonnnays because the woody taste was facile and easily identifiable. But these days the pendulum has swung back and everyone’s asking for Italian Pinot Grigio and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

The latter wine has exploded in popularity, dominating the Kiwi wine industry the same way that Peter Jackson lords over the country’s film industry; in fact, without this charming white-wine grape there might not be New Zealand wine for export at all. And yet, as some analysts who have followed the recent explosion of the art market have begun to point out, there can be too much of a good thing. As they proliferate, some New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs are serving up a caricature of the grape’s best qualities, with the herbal/grassy notes and the pungent acidity dialed too far up by some producers, making mouths pucker and scraping enamel from teeth. Others are what wine geeks call “flabby,” in other words, heavy and without focus.

That’s why I like the Stonecrop Sauvignon Blanc Martinborough 2006 ($18). 2006 was a terrific year Down Under, and Stonecrop, a small family winery that also makes a good Pinot Noir (which is fast becoming New Zealand’s other go-to grape), clearly took advantage. The wine has great balance—it’s got enlivening acidity, which is necessary in the summer heat, but also a lot of really subtle fruit. And there’s something relaxed about the way the melon and citrus flavors fit into the wine’s round, ripe frame.

According to the copy on the bottle, the wine also has aromas of “lemon blossom.” I’ve never smelled one of these, but based on this wine I trust Stonecrop. They haven’t steered me wrong yet.

Ted Loos, Executive Editor of Art & Auction magazine, is the former features editor of Wine Spectator and has written on wine for Bon Appétit, Town & Country, and many other publications. He's the author of Town & Country Wine Companion: A Tasting Guide and Journal (Hearst Books; $12.95), to be published this fall.