Sauvignon Blanc (SB) has developed into a strong #2 behind Chardonnay in the minds of American white wine drinkers. There was a time when Robert Mondavi felt he had to coin the term ‘Fume Blanc’ in order to sell his Sauvignon Blanc. That time has passed. What was and is SB’s liability? The fact that SB can be so expressive in its character that it can turn some people off. You know the type: politically correct, your parent’s Buick, eating at a chain restaurant and then spending the night at a Marriott. Sauvignon Blanc is left or right wing politics, a Mini Cooper, dinner at Thai-Fusion and then a night at the ‘W.’ It is that expressiveness that makes SB such a ‘turn on’ to many wine-drinkers such as this writer. SB is the first wine I look for by the glass in a restaurant. A nice SB has the zingy freshness of Pinot Grigio, yet with more character. SB is fabulous when paired with shellfish, goat cheese, citrus based sauces and even herb based ones - which is a tall order for a wine!
It is actually its pungency that makes SB so attractive. The ability to grow SB grapes and achieve both ripeness and maintain its fresh and zippy character is the key to finding the variety’s optimal terroir. Many tricks are used in the vineyard such as multiple pickings to get green through ripe characters for a diversity of flavors. Leaves may be plucked for grape ripeness, but only on the morning-sun side of the trellis. The afternoon sun is generally warmer and may quickly ripen the SB variety which will drop its acidity, lessen its pungency, and may diminish its fruit expression. What fruits? The best SB’s resemble one or a combination of green apple, grapefruit, gooseberry, passion fruit, and green melon. Most SB’s are fermented in stainless steel at cool temperatures to preserve the grape’s primary fruit aromas and flavors. Some of the classics see oak aging and/or fermentation. At the Wine Warehouse you will find a well chosen selection of various expressions of SB.
You may notice that many SB’s are bottled with screw-cap closures. The fancy ‘in the know’ name for these closures is a Stelvin closure. These are used by progressive producers who are looking at maintaining the integrity of the wine that they put in the bottle. Stelvin closures have been proven to let in less oxygen than traditional or artificial corks, also assuring the absence of cork taint. That is all good! The irony here is that Stelvin is produced by a French owned company, Pechiney. The French market is somewhat conservative to change, and you will see that none of the French SB’s are in Stelvin. Daniel Chotard said that he is willing to bottle in Stelvin, but his importer, Kermit Lynch was not thrilled with the idea. Kermit can be more French than the French.
Classic European Sauvignon Blanc comes from Sancerre and its neighbor Pouilly Fume. These appellations can be found about an hour and a half drive south of Paris on the Loire River. Sancerre is famous for its grapefruit and passion fruit characters, with Pouilly Fume being similar with a touch of flintiness added. The Loire Valley in France has also some of the world’s best SB values as found in Reuilly or Cheverny. Further south in Bordeaux many Sauvignon Blanc may be blended with Semillon for longevity which also adds a dimension of waxy/lanolin characters to the wine.
The wine region that put SB on the map for many new world wine drinkers is the Marlborough Region of New Zealand. The first SB grapes were only planted in Marlborough in 1973 and the region has already achieved iconic status. Marlborough’s secret is a cool climate, some cooling winds with relatively vigorous soils. A well made Marlborough SB is like a Sancerre on steroids. It has all of the character of Sancerre with added weight and expression of fruit characters. No wonder the Hobbits located there.
Other new world expressions of SB that show some distinction are the cool Coastal climates of South Africa, Casablanca in Chile, and the cooler areas in Argentina and California. On to the wines!
2005 was not just a great vintage for red Bordeaux as the whole of France had a fantastic year. Well timed sunshine, cooling and precipitation made 2005 a vintage that many winemakers have called their greatest. The irony is that the greatest vintages seem to make themselves as the grapes are so perfect that the winemaker need only to not screw up what nature has given them. How about talking about some stunning Loire Valley 2005’s?
Hippolyte Reverdy Sancerre 2005Reverdy Sancerre’s arrival is anticipated every year at WW. Why is this? Our allocation only lasts a few months and inevitably we are out for 9 months before the next release. There are only 26 acres of SB planted at the domaine. Reverdy is the classic SB with minerality and verve. The 05 opens with a nose of fresh fermentation smells, intense minerally lemon, green melon and passion fruit nose. On the palate there is an incredible purity of green apple and passion fruit flavor, ripeness, and a nice acid zing on the end. The wine does not show austerity, it is just a mouthful of flavor.
Retail $21.99 Warehouse $16.99
Daniel Chotard Sancerre 2005Some of you may have met Daniel Chotard on our ‘Return to France’ tour this summer. He was pouring his beautiful 04, but he was talking about how spectacular his 05 is. Chotard’s Sancerre has more overt fruit coming through on the nose and palate than on the Reverdy. There are peachy and passion fruit aromas, a nice zing of acid on the front palate, a purity of lemon, peach, yellow apple and passion fruit on the palate. Chotard’s importer, Kermit Lynch finds Chotard’s style rich and supple….voluptuously fine.
Retail $21.99 Warehouse $16.99
Regis Minet Pouilly Fume 2005
Minet farms 20 acres of 25 year old vine SB. A recent 90 pointer and ‘Smart Buy’ in the Wine Spectator magazine. ‘Very racy, with nervy lemon zest, honeysuckle, straw and mineral notes that run through a crisp, mouthwatering finish. Delicious.’ On the bouquet we find a distinct, flinty, lemon and a perfumey minerality. The wine is fresh, and has passion fruit, lemon and ‘juicy fruit’ gum flavors on the palate that is balanced with a refreshing zing of acidity on the back palate. There were only 1700 cases produced.
Retail $ 18.99 Warehouse $15.99
Pierres Plates Reuilly 2005
Reuilly is an ancient winemaking village comprised of only 300 acres of vines. The vineyard ‘Pierres Plates’ soil is comprised of chalk, fossils, and sea shells as can be found in Chablis and is farmed with organic fertilizers. This Reuilly is a SB that is very Sancerre-like in its style. The fruit is lively, with white flower perfumes, citrus and minerality. This is an incredible value for a classic style of SB.
Retail $15.99 Warehouse $12.99
Chateau Graville Lacoste ‘Graves’ 2005
Graville Lacoste is produced 60% from 55 year old Semillon vines, 35% SB, and 5% Muscadelle. When vinified reductively, Semillon’s flavors can be more subtle and complex than SB. Graville’s gravelly soil produces an elegant, clean table wine with aromas of honey, lemon cream, acacia, red delicious apple and almond. Rich on the palate due to its percentage of Semillon but is crisp and dry on the finish. This is a classic example of the flavors represented in a white Bordeaux, but at a fabulous price. Proprietor Herve Dubourdieu visited our stores during the Return to France tour this summer. Retail $15.99 Warehouse $11.99
Back to Pouilly Fume for a minute. WW has available the most traditional and ‘classic’ producer in Pouilly Fume: Ladoucette.
Ladoucette Pouilly Fume 2003
The picture is from the Ladoucette’s, Chateau du Nozet. Ladoucette has been a staple on wine lists in the US for years. Ladoucette is to Pouilly Fume as Santa Margherita is to Pinot Grigio. This wine is from the 2003 vintage where people were literally dying from the heat in Paris. The intense spell of heat is usually a disaster for a wine that wishes to maintain its fresh edge. Not a problem with this wine. Green apple, grapefruit and a hint of flint on the nose. Lemon, honeysuckle, pear and mineral on the palate. A long and balanced finish. Classy and sassy.
Retail $28.99 Warehouse $19.99
On to the ‘New World’ and the clean-green land of New Zealand
Only 10 years ago New Zealand (NZ) wines did not have much of a presence here in the US. NZ actually had more Chardonnay planted back then as compared to its identity grape, SB. The NZ wines were becoming a hit for ‘Mother England’ and were slowly beginning to catch on here. The main thing holding back the NZ category was the availability of grapes. This problem continues to exist today. When I was in Marlborough this February, it was a ‘free for all’ with rival wineries trying to secure any and all grape contracts for Sauvignon Blanc. No wonder. The stuff continues to amaze people and win converts.New Zealand’s most awarded winery is Villa Maria. Owner George Fistonich’s forward thinking, having secured his own vineyard land, landing the most favorable vineyard contracts and hiring
the best personnel have paid off. There are more ‘Masters of Wine’ who have either worked for or continue to work for ‘Villa’ than any winery on the planet. Villa Maria is the largest privately held winery in New Zealand. George Fistonich had enormous guts in making the decision to go exclusively to ‘Stelvin’ (fancy screw-cap) closures for all of Villa’s wines. This was a few years before the education on and acceptance level of these caps was where it is today. The WW has admired and promoted Villa Maria’s wines for years.Villa Maria ‘Private Bin’ Sauvignon Blanc 2005
This is ‘Villa’s’ entry level Sauvignon Blanc. Marlborough winemaker George Geris, who has been known to sport a terrific ‘mullet’ says this about his ‘Private Bin’ SB: ‘This Sauvignon is bursting with ripe gooseberry, citrus lime, melon and exotic herbal aromas. It is fresh and ripely flavored with fantastic intensity, finishing with crisp and racy acidity.’ Look for the 06 to be in stores in a month or so. In Stelvin for freshness.
Retail $13.99 Warehouse $9.99
Villa Maria ‘Cellar Select’ Sauvignon Blanc 2005
This is the next rung up the food-chain for Villa SB. The Cellar Select tends to be the most-flashy of all the Villa SB’s out of the chute. This 05 was a ‘Smart Buy’ from the Wine Spectator, ‘Zingy, juicy, lively with citrusy acidity, offering strong mineral character, quince and lemon zest flavors that persist on the finish.’ 91 points. In Stelvin for freshness.
Retail $18.99 Warehouse $ 14.99
Other Southern Hemisphere SB’s to try:
It is extremely important to have relatively cool vineyard sites to grow a SB with some expression. In Argentina, Vina Dona Paula/Los Cardos grows their SB at 1100 meters above sea level. It is estimated that average temperature drops 0.7 degrees Fahrenheit for every 100 meters over sea level. This is the nicest SB that we have tasted from Argentina and is under $7! Aromas and flavors of gooseberry, grapefruit, sweet green pepper, passion fruit, nectarines, lime and a hint of mineral. In Stelvin for freshness.
Los Cardos Sauvignon Blanc 2005 (Argentina) Retail $8.99 Warehouse $6.99
The Casablanca Valley is Chile’s answer to NZ’s Marlborough and California’s Carneros. Casablanca, Marlborough and Carneros are all influenced by the cool Pacific ocean. This cooling influence produces SB grapes with expression. Casablanca is so cool that early experiments with Cabernet and Merlot had failed due to the green characters that happen to work well with SB. OK, this wine can be a touch grassy; also lemon-limey and slightly herbal. Fresh and delicious. In Stelvin for freshness.
Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc ‘Casablanca Valley’ 2005 (Chile) Retail $8.99 Warehouse $5.99
Neil Ellis was one of the winemaking pioneers in South Africa to work with a GPS company that is able to identify areas in the country by soil and temperature. Neil was one of the pioneers in the Elgin region, and most importantly for SB, The Darling region and his Groenekloof vineyard. This vineyard lie just 8km off of a very cool Atlantic Ocean. ‘Sincerely’ is an homage to Sancerre as Charles Back’s Goats do Roam is an homage to the Cotes du Rhone. On the back label you will see ‘imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.’ Sincerely is a combination of Groenekloof fruit with some cool climate vineyards from Stellenbosch blended in. Neil also does a straight Groenekloof bottling. Lime, green apple and passion fruit are evident, with a pleasing crisp finish. In Stelvin for freshness.
Neil Ellis ‘Sincerely’ Sauvignon Blanc ‘Coastal’ 2005 (South Africa) Retail $13.99 Warehouse $9.99
Let’s not forget about California.
Many of California’s cooler vineyards are planted to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir as they have traditionally been able to get a higher price for these grapes. As SB becomes more en vogue, grapegrowers and vintners are searching out the cool mesoclimates for SB. These are some of our favorite California SBs.
At WW we have been buying wine from Girard since Steve Girard owned it back in the 80s. At the winery in Napa, Girard hits some of the riper flavors such as tangerine, green melon and lemon-lime. Three Napa vineyards are used for differing characters for added complexity. Girard ‘Napa Valley’Sauvignon Blanc 2005, Retail $16.99 Warehouse $12.99
Whitehall Lane winery always struck me as Napa Valley’s foray into cubism. Winery additions were not too subtle here, but the wines make up for it. Whitehall Lane’s 05 SB has 9% Semillon blended into it for a richer mouth-feel. This is the only wine mentioned in this blog that has any wood aging. 30% of the SB was barrel fermented in new French oak barrels. Look for the traditional grapefruit, green melon, lemon and a hint of peach in its character. In Stelvin for freshness. Whitehall Lane ‘Napa Valley’ Sauvignon Blanc 2005, Retail $15.99 Warehouse $12.99
The Kunde’s have been in the grape growing business in Sonoma County since 1879. Kunde controls over 2000 acres in Sonoma, and has an impressive cave system built into the mountain behind the winery. The winery is at the other end of the Oakville grade on the always adventurous trip over from Napa. Kunde’s SB is on the ripe and peachy side with a hint of grapefruit.
Kunde ‘Magnolia Lane’ Sauvignon Blanc 2004, Retail $12.99 Warehouse $9.99
Geyser Peak is now owned by conglomerate Fortune Brands and run by a pair of Australian winemakers. Geyser Peak has extensive land holdings and consistently produce some of the best values for the money in California. The 2005 Sauvignon Blanc has a California appellation as fruit is sourced in cool sites as far south as Monterey all the way up to Lake County. Lemongrass, grapefruit and tangerine highlight the bouquet and the palate. We have this wine at a crazy price.
Geyser Peak ‘California’ Sauvignon Blanc 2005, Retail $9.99 Warehouse $5.95
As Ron Burgundy would say, "Stay sassy, Florida!"
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