Sauvignon Blanc - Always the Bridesmaid, Never (Yet?) the Bride
For the last 10?, 20?, 30?, or more years, the word in the wine world is that Sauvignon Blanc is "the next big thing". In that time we have seen the rise of Syrah/Shiraz, the rediscovery of Pinot Noir, the blossoming of Pinot Grigio, and more. Still, we wait for the arrival of Sauvignon Blanc. There have been flashes—California Sauvignon/Fumé Blanc, Sancerre, New Zealand—but no earth shattering explosion. So, the ultimate place of Sauvignon Blanc in the pantheon of grapes is still a matter of lively debate.
From Grape to Bottle — Sauvignon Blanc in the Vineyard and Winery
In the vineyard, Sauvignon Blanc is a relatively easy grape to grow. It grows well in a variety of soils, it is late to bud, so spring frosts are rarely a problem, and it ripens early, giving a reliable crop of ripe fruit in a wide variety of climatic conditions. In the middle to the end of the growing season, it is susceptible to powdery mildew, and black rot, but careful pruning of the leaf growth can make these relatively minor problems. The key in the vineyard to growing top quality Sauvignon Blanc is the management of the leaf canopy. It is a vigorous variety, and left on its own produces a large amount of leaves. By pruning the vegetative growth, more of the vines energy is put into the grapes, producing riper, more flavorful fruit. Too much leaf growth results in wines that have little flavor, and make dull wines. The pruning also allows air and sunlight to reach the grapes, fighting off the mildew and rot while serving to increase the ripeness
In the winery, Sauvignon Blanc is again an agreeable grape. There are relatively few choices that a winemaker has to make. The first is how much time to allow the skins and pulp to stay in contact with the juice. More time makes for more intense, pungent flavors, so management of skin contact has direct influence on the finished wine. Most Sauvignon Blanc is fermented in steel or other neutral vessels, but barrel fermentation can be used to produce a rounder, lusher wine. Controlling the temperature of the fermentation also affects the flavor. Cooler, longer fermentation produces wines with more pronounced fruit, while warmer, quicker fermentation accentuates the mineral qualities of the grape. After fermentation, some oak aging may be used, to take the acidic edge off the finished wine.
In the Glass — The Flavors of Sauvignon Blanc
Depending on the climate and winemaking techniques, Sauvignon Blanc can present quite a variety of different styles in the glass. The vast majority are quite dry, the exceptions being quite sweet, late harvested styles, most notably from Bordeaux. It ranges in color from pale and watery, through light green gold, on to a deeper gold. It can also range from light to medium full in body. The spectrum of flavors of Sauvignon Blanc will vary according to the climatic conditions from highly acidic, grapefruit and lime laced, to herbal, fresh cut grass, to bell pepper and olives, to melon, to flinty minerals, to the classic, if somewhat imposing, descriptor of “Cat’s pee on a gooseberry bush”. The most typical versions of Sauvignon Blanc are either the grapefruit/lime, fresh cut grass, or mineral style. If barrel fermented or oak aged, then the vanilla, smoke, or toast flavors imparted by the wood can be overlain. The natural high acidity of the grape will also be tempered by the oak aging in these cases as well. In general, Sauvignon Blanc is not a wine to age for a long time, although some examples, particularly from Bordeaux, can age gracefully for many years.
On the Table — Sauvignon Blanc and Food
Sauvignon Blanc is a classic white meat wine. It pairs well with fish, shellfish, chicken, and pork depending on the preparation. It is not a white wine that lends itself to red meats. In seafood, its medium body and fresh acidity seem to pair best with white flaky fish, clams, crab, shrimp, and oysters. Richer seafood, like tuna, swordfish, salmon, and lobster can work, though other wines are usually better matches. However, if richer fish is prepared with a dill based sauce, Sauvignon Blanc shines through. With pork and chicken Sauvignon Blanc works well, particularly if the preparation is lighter. Cream sauces and sauces with lots of butter do not respond well to the acidity of Sauvignon Blanc. Sauvignon Blancs with green, herbal qualities lend themselves to preparations with herbs like dill, basil, cilantro, and tarragon. Those same characters work well with dishes with a strong vegetal quality like olives and peppers. Sauvignon Blancs with a more citrusy, grapefruit profile do will with dishes using citrus fruit, tomatoes and other high acid components. Sauvignon Blanc is a great cheese wine. It is best known for its affinity for fresh Chevre, but it also pairs well with aged goat cheese, and most sheep’s milk cheeses. It also accompanies sharp Cheddar, Gruyere, and other strongly flavored cow’s milk cheeses. It does not generally pair well with blue veined or bloomy rinded double and triple creams.
The Geography of Sauvignon Blanc — Where It Grows, and Grows Well
France
There are two important regions in France for Sauvignon Blanc, the Loire Valley and Bordeaux, and the wines produced in these two districts are very distinct in style. In the upper reaches of the Loire Valley sit two towns, one on each side of the river, Sancerre and Pouilly. From these villages come the wines Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé, considered perhaps the purest expression of Sauvignon Blanc. The flinty chalk soils here lend a mineral character to the wines. At their best, these wines are among the most complex, nuanced examples of the grape. Elsewhere in the Loire, good, but lighter and less complex Sauvignon Blanc can be found from the villages of Menetou-Salon, Reuilly, and Quincy, as well as the regional appellation of Sauvignon de Touraine. In Bordeaux, Sauvignon Blanc plays multiple roles. In the traditional white Bordeaux of the Graves and Pessac Léognan appellations, such as Haut Brion Blanc, Domaine de Chevalier, Pape Clement, or Carbonnieux, it is blended with Semillon in percentages ranging from 20-80 percent. These wines are traditional oak aged, and are among the longest lived Sauvignon Blanc based wines made in the world. There is also a “new wave” style, mostly less expensive, of pure, or nearly pure, Sauvignon Blanc made without oak aging, to preserve the vibrancy and fruit. These may come from Bordeaux itself, or from surrounding regions like Entre Deux Mers or Bergerac. These are often sold with the varietal name on the label, a rarity in French wine. The third role for Sauvignon Blanc in Bordeaux is in the great sweet wines of Sauternes and Barsac. Most of these sweet wines are primarily Semillon, but the acidity of the Sauvignon Blanc serves to balance the sweetness, and soften the waxy, lanolin like character of the Semillon. The percentage of Sauvignon Blanc in these dessert wines ranges from 5-60 percent.
The Rest of Europe
Sauvignon Blanc is grown fairly widely throughout the northeast of Italy. It is almost always fermented in stainless steel, at cool temperatures, to preserve the crisp acidity and bright fruit. The best regions in Italy for Sauvignon Blanc seem to be the Alto Adige and Friuli, especially the sub regions of Collio and Isonzo. There is also some grown in Tuscany, but it has not met with as much success there. . In Spain, particularly in the Rueda, it is used either by itself, or blended with native grapes like Verdejo and Viura, to produce refreshing, clean wines. In the remainder of Europe, Sauvignon Blanc is not a grape of any real importance. In Eastern Europe, it is widely planted, but the resulting wines are mostly heavier and somewhat dull.
United States
Among quality wine grapes, Sauvignon Blanc is second only to Chardonnay in planted acreage, but it is a distant second. In California, there are approximately 95,000 acres of Chardonnay, and only 15,000 of Sauvignon Blanc. In the mid sixties, when Robert Mondavi founded his winery, most of the Sauvignon Blanc grown in California was used to make fairly dull, semi sweet wines. Tasting French Sauvignon Blanc, he recognized the potential of the grape in California, but thought that it would be a difficult sell, given the middling quality of California Sauvignon Blanc. So, he reinvented the grape. The alternative name for Pouilly Fumé is Blanc Fumé de Pouilly. Mr. Mondavi took the Blanc Fumé, reversed the order to make it scan better in English, and christened the first Fumé Blanc. He adopted French winemaking styles, aging his Fumé Blanc in oak and fermenting it to dryness. It was a great critical and commercial success. He had not copy written the name, so others began to use it for similar styles of Sauvignon Blanc. For a while, oak aged Sauvignon Blanc was labeled Fumé Blanc, and steel aged was labeled as Sauvignon Blanc, but by now, the two terms are interchangeable. Within California, the grape seems to grow well in most regions, and there are not distinct regional differences. The largest numbers of top rated California Sauvignon Blancs come from Napa and Sonoma, but then, those are the areas where more of it is planted. Top quality Sauvignon Blancs also have come from Lake and Mendocino Counties, the warm upper part of the Santa Ynez Valley, and Monterey.
Washington is the other American source for quality Sauvignon Blanc, grown in the Columbia River Valley. This is essentially a cool desert environment, due to the rain shield of the Cascade Mountains. The long day length and judicious irrigation make this an ideal site for Sauvignon Blanc. Occasional bottlings from Oregon, New York, and elsewhere are seen, but none of these areas produce significant quantities
New Zealand
The current world darling in Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand has burst on the scene in recent years with an in your face, no holding back style of Sauvignon Blanc. The first New Zealand wines appeared in the early nineties, but it was the 1996 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc with its 94 point rating and #7 wine of the year that caught the world’s attention. In the last 10 years the number of New Zealand wines has skyrocketed, led by a raft of Sauvignon Blancs. The New Zealand style is a very pungent, highly aromatic one, with bracing acidity. Flavors of passion fruit, grapefruit, lime and other citrus fruits, with pear and apple in the background are all found in the flavor riot that is New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. The majority of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc comes from the Marlborough region, although fine examples can be found from the Waipara, Martinborough, Nelson, and Hawke’s Bay appellations as well.
South America
Sauvignon Blanc is not widely grown in South America. In Argentina, only a few scattered, and not wildly impressive, bottlings exist. In Chile, there is more, and of better quality. Though not rivaling the best elsewhere, they do provide good value, and clean flavors more in the Loire Valley style. The best have tended to come from the Casablanca Valley, one of Chile’s cooler growing regions.
Other Countries
Australia has not been a major player in the Sauvignon Blanc world. There are some fine wines, coming from the cooler growing regions, most notably the Adelaide Hills, Yarra Valley, and Tasmania. In the past few years producers like Neil Ellis and Mulderbosch have provided wines that suggest South Africa may become a source of top quality Sauvignon Blanc. While less intense than New Zealand in style, they share some of the same character, and add to it a taste of the Loire Valley minerality. In recent years, Sauvignon Blanc from Israel has appeared, but as of now, Israel is not a significant source for Sauvignon Blanc.
Sauvignon Blanc - Always the Bridesmaid, Never (Yet?) the Bride
For the last 10?, 20?, 30?, or more years, the word in the wine world is that Sauvignon Blanc is "the next big thing". In that time we have seen the rise of Syrah/Shiraz, the rediscovery of Pinot Noir, the blossoming of Pinot Grigio, and more. Still, we wait for the arrival of Sauvignon Blanc. There have been flashes—California Sauvignon/Fumé Blanc, Sancerre, New Zealand—but no earth shattering explosion. So, the ultimate place of Sauvignon Blanc in the pantheon of grapes is still a matter of lively debate.
From Grape to Bottle — Sauvignon Blanc in the Vineyard and Winery
In the vineyard, Sauvignon Blanc is a relatively easy grape to grow. It grows well in a variety of soils, it is late to bud, so spring frosts are rarely a problem, and it ripens early, giving a reliable crop of ripe fruit in a wide variety of climatic conditions. In the middle to the end of the growing season, it is susceptible to powdery mildew, and black rot, but careful pruning of the leaf growth can make these relatively minor problems. The key in the vineyard to growing top quality Sauvignon Blanc is the management of the leaf canopy. It is a vigorous variety, and left on its own produces a large amount of leaves. By pruning the vegetative growth, more of the vines energy is put into the grapes, producing riper, more flavorful fruit. Too much leaf growth results in wines that have little flavor, and make dull wines. The pruning also allows air and sunlight to reach the grapes, fighting off the mildew and rot while serving to increase the ripeness
In the winery, Sauvignon Blanc is again an agreeable grape. There are relatively few choices that a winemaker has to make. The first is how much time to allow the skins and pulp to stay in contact with the juice. More time makes for more intense, pungent flavors, so management of skin contact has direct influence on the finished wine. Most Sauvignon Blanc is fermented in steel or other neutral vessels, but barrel fermentation can be used to produce a rounder, lusher wine. Controlling the temperature of the fermentation also affects the flavor. Cooler, longer fermentation produces wines with more pronounced fruit, while warmer, quicker fermentation accentuates the mineral qualities of the grape. After fermentation, some oak aging may be used, to take the acidic edge off the finished wine.
In the Glass — The Flavors of Sauvignon Blanc
Depending on the climate and winemaking techniques, Sauvignon Blanc can present quite a variety of different styles in the glass. The vast majority are quite dry, the exceptions being quite sweet, late harvested styles, most notably from Bordeaux. It ranges in color from pale and watery, through light green gold, on to a deeper gold. It can also range from light to medium full in body. The spectrum of flavors of Sauvignon Blanc will vary according to the climatic conditions from highly acidic, grapefruit and lime laced, to herbal, fresh cut grass, to bell pepper and olives, to melon, to flinty minerals, to the classic, if somewhat imposing, descriptor of “Cat’s pee on a gooseberry bush”. The most typical versions of Sauvignon Blanc are either the grapefruit/lime, fresh cut grass, or mineral style. If barrel fermented or oak aged, then the vanilla, smoke, or toast flavors imparted by the wood can be overlain. The natural high acidity of the grape will also be tempered by the oak aging in these cases as well. In general, Sauvignon Blanc is not a wine to age for a long time, although some examples, particularly from Bordeaux, can age gracefully for many years.
On the Table — Sauvignon Blanc and Food
Sauvignon Blanc is a classic white meat wine. It pairs well with fish, shellfish, chicken, and pork depending on the preparation. It is not a white wine that lends itself to red meats. In seafood, its medium body and fresh acidity seem to pair best with white flaky fish, clams, crab, shrimp, and oysters. Richer seafood, like tuna, swordfish, salmon, and lobster can work, though other wines are usually better matches. However, if richer fish is prepared with a dill based sauce, Sauvignon Blanc shines through. With pork and chicken Sauvignon Blanc works well, particularly if the preparation is lighter. Cream sauces and sauces with lots of butter do not respond well to the acidity of Sauvignon Blanc. Sauvignon Blancs with green, herbal qualities lend themselves to preparations with herbs like dill, basil, cilantro, and tarragon. Those same characters work well with dishes with a strong vegetal quality like olives and peppers. Sauvignon Blancs with a more citrusy, grapefruit profile do will with dishes using citrus fruit, tomatoes and other high acid components. Sauvignon Blanc is a great cheese wine. It is best known for its affinity for fresh Chevre, but it also pairs well with aged goat cheese, and most sheep’s milk cheeses. It also accompanies sharp Cheddar, Gruyere, and other strongly flavored cow’s milk cheeses. It does not generally pair well with blue veined or bloomy rinded double and triple creams.
The Geography of Sauvignon Blanc — Where It Grows, and Grows Well
France
There are two important regions in France for Sauvignon Blanc, the Loire Valley and Bordeaux, and the wines produced in these two districts are very distinct in style. In the upper reaches of the Loire Valley sit two towns, one on each side of the river, Sancerre and Pouilly. From these villages come the wines Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé, considered perhaps the purest expression of Sauvignon Blanc. The flinty chalk soils here lend a mineral character to the wines. At their best, these wines are among the most complex, nuanced examples of the grape. Elsewhere in the Loire, good, but lighter and less complex Sauvignon Blanc can be found from the villages of Menetou-Salon, Reuilly, and Quincy, as well as the regional appellation of Sauvignon de Touraine. In Bordeaux, Sauvignon Blanc plays multiple roles. In the traditional white Bordeaux of the Graves and Pessac Léognan appellations, such as Haut Brion Blanc, Domaine de Chevalier, Pape Clement, or Carbonnieux, it is blended with Semillon in percentages ranging from 20-80 percent. These wines are traditional oak aged, and are among the longest lived Sauvignon Blanc based wines made in the world. There is also a “new wave” style, mostly less expensive, of pure, or nearly pure, Sauvignon Blanc made without oak aging, to preserve the vibrancy and fruit. These may come from Bordeaux itself, or from surrounding regions like Entre Deux Mers or Bergerac. These are often sold with the varietal name on the label, a rarity in French wine. The third role for Sauvignon Blanc in Bordeaux is in the great sweet wines of Sauternes and Barsac. Most of these sweet wines are primarily Semillon, but the acidity of the Sauvignon Blanc serves to balance the sweetness, and soften the waxy, lanolin like character of the Semillon. The percentage of Sauvignon Blanc in these dessert wines ranges from 5-60 percent.
The Rest of Europe
Sauvignon Blanc is grown fairly widely throughout the northeast of Italy. It is almost always fermented in stainless steel, at cool temperatures, to preserve the crisp acidity and bright fruit. The best regions in Italy for Sauvignon Blanc seem to be the Alto Adige and Friuli, especially the sub regions of Collio and Isonzo. There is also some grown in Tuscany, but it has not met with as much success there. . In Spain, particularly in the Rueda, it is used either by itself, or blended with native grapes like Verdejo and Viura, to produce refreshing, clean wines. In the remainder of Europe, Sauvignon Blanc is not a grape of any real importance. In Eastern Europe, it is widely planted, but the resulting wines are mostly heavier and somewhat dull.
United States
Among quality wine grapes, Sauvignon Blanc is second only to Chardonnay in planted acreage, but it is a distant second. In California, there are approximately 95,000 acres of Chardonnay, and only 15,000 of Sauvignon Blanc. In the mid sixties, when Robert Mondavi founded his winery, most of the Sauvignon Blanc grown in California was used to make fairly dull, semi sweet wines. Tasting French Sauvignon Blanc, he recognized the potential of the grape in California, but thought that it would be a difficult sell, given the middling quality of California Sauvignon Blanc. So, he reinvented the grape. The alternative name for Pouilly Fumé is Blanc Fumé de Pouilly. Mr. Mondavi took the Blanc Fumé, reversed the order to make it scan better in English, and christened the first Fumé Blanc. He adopted French winemaking styles, aging his Fumé Blanc in oak and fermenting it to dryness. It was a great critical and commercial success. He had not copy written the name, so others began to use it for similar styles of Sauvignon Blanc. For a while, oak aged Sauvignon Blanc was labeled Fumé Blanc, and steel aged was labeled as Sauvignon Blanc, but by now, the two terms are interchangeable. Within California, the grape seems to grow well in most regions, and there are not distinct regional differences. The largest numbers of top rated California Sauvignon Blancs come from Napa and Sonoma, but then, those are the areas where more of it is planted. Top quality Sauvignon Blancs also have come from Lake and Mendocino Counties, the warm upper part of the Santa Ynez Valley, and Monterey.
Washington is the other American source for quality Sauvignon Blanc, grown in the Columbia River Valley. This is essentially a cool desert environment, due to the rain shield of the Cascade Mountains. The long day length and judicious irrigation make this an ideal site for Sauvignon Blanc. Occasional bottlings from Oregon, New York, and elsewhere are seen, but none of these areas produce significant quantities
New Zealand
The current world darling in Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand has burst on the scene in recent years with an in your face, no holding back style of Sauvignon Blanc. The first New Zealand wines appeared in the early nineties, but it was the 1996 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc with its 94 point rating and #7 wine of the year that caught the world’s attention. In the last 10 years the number of New Zealand wines has skyrocketed, led by a raft of Sauvignon Blancs. The New Zealand style is a very pungent, highly aromatic one, with bracing acidity. Flavors of passion fruit, grapefruit, lime and other citrus fruits, with pear and apple in the background are all found in the flavor riot that is New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. The majority of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc comes from the Marlborough region, although fine examples can be found from the Waipara, Martinborough, Nelson, and Hawke’s Bay appellations as well.
South America
Sauvignon Blanc is not widely grown in South America. In Argentina, only a few scattered, and not wildly impressive, bottlings exist. In Chile, there is more, and of better quality. Though not rivaling the best elsewhere, they do provide good value, and clean flavors more in the Loire Valley style. The best have tended to come from the Casablanca Valley, one of Chile’s cooler growing regions.
Other Countries
Australia has not been a major player in the Sauvignon Blanc world. There are some fine wines, coming from the cooler growing regions, most notably the Adelaide Hills, Yarra Valley, and Tasmania. In the past few years producers like Neil Ellis and Mulderbosch have provided wines that suggest South Africa may become a source of top quality Sauvignon Blanc. While less intense than New Zealand in style, they share some of the same character, and add to it a taste of the Loire Valley minerality. In recent years, Sauvignon Blanc from Israel has appeared, but as of now, Israel is not a significant source for Sauvignon Blanc.
