As noted above, it is not clear that the vine originated in western France. The Sauvignon blanc grape traces its origins to western France in the Loire Valley and Bordeaux Regions. History The first plantings of Sauvignon blanc were introduced to California at Cresta Blanca Winery (pictured) in the Livermore Valley. The first Friday in May is International Sauvignon Blanc Day. Dry and sweet white Bordeaux, including oak-aged examples from Pessac-Léognan and Graves, as well as some Loire wines from Pouilly-Fumé and Sancerre are some of the few examples of Sauvignon blancs with aging potential. The wine is usually consumed young and does not particularly benefit from aging, as varietal Sauvignon blancs tend to develop vegetal aromas reminiscent of peas and asparagus with extended aging. Īlong with Riesling, Sauvignon blanc was one of the first fine wines to be bottled with a screwcap in commercial quantities, especially by New Zealand producers. It is also known as one of the few wines that can pair well with sushi. Sauvignon blanc, when slightly chilled, pairs well with fish or cheese, particularly chèvre. Wine experts have used the phrase "crisp, elegant, and fresh" as a favorable description of Sauvignon blanc from the Loire Valley and New Zealand. In warmer climates, it can develop more tropical fruit notes but risks losing much aroma from over-ripeness, leaving only slight grapefruit and tree fruit (such as peach) notes. In cooler climates, the grape has a tendency to produce wines with noticeable acidity and "green flavors" of grass, green bell peppers and nettles with some tropical fruit (such as passion fruit) and floral (such as elderflower) notes. Some New World Sauvignon blancs, particularly from California, may also be called "Fumé Blanc", a marketing term coined by Robert Mondavi in reference to Pouilly-Fumé.ĭepending on the climate, the flavor can range from aggressively grassy to sweetly tropical. Sauvignon blanc is widely cultivated in France, Chile, Romania, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Bulgaria, the states of Oregon, Washington, and California in the US. The grape is also a component of the famous dessert wines from Sauternes and Barsac. Sauvignon blanc is planted in many of the world's wine regions, producing a crisp, dry, and refreshing white varietal wine. The grape most likely gets its name from the French words sauvage ("wild") and blanc ("white") due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in South West France. Sauvignon blanc is a green-skinned grape variety that originates from the city of Bordeaux in France. Powdery mildew, oidium, black rot, and Botrytis cinerea South Africa, Chile, New Zealand, California, Iran, Loire Valley, Bordeaux, Ukraine Plus, it comes from organically farmed vineyards.Sauvignon jaune, Blanc Fume (France), Muskat-Silvaner (Germany & Austria), Fume blanc, Sav Blanc (Australia) and other synonyms A lightly saline mineral note gives this polished Sauvignon more complexity than many others have.Fresh cut grass in the aroma and an almost savory note to the gooseberry and citrus fruit-this focused white is an impressive offering from a superb vintage in New Zealand. ![]() ![]() His Greywacke wines are terrific-the '13 Sauvignon has impressively lengthy grapefruit, lime and pepper flavors. Kevin Judd was the winemaker at Cloudy Bay for many years and helped define the New Zealand Sauvignon style while there.There's a ripe intensity to the core of passionfruit flavor here, and a textural depth a lot of Marlborough Sauvignons never achieve.Graceful, with a distinct peppery note yet the pepperiness doesn't lean too far over into the green pepper/jalapeño notes New Zealand sometimes offers. ![]() 2013 Lawson's Dry Hills Sauvignon Blanc ($18).A classic New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, balancing fresh grapefruit and green pepper notes.2013 O'Dwyers Creek Sauvignon Blanc ($16).Zesty and passionfruit-y, with lots of clean, bright flavor-not the most complex Sauvignon Blanc I tasted, but a true pleasure to drink.Out of those, here are my favorites (minus two, the 2013 Morton Estate White Label and the 2014 Martinborough Vineyard Te Tera, which apparently aren't imported to the US right now, annoyingly enough). I didn't taste every entry, unsurprisingly, but I did taste through every Sauvignon Blanc that won a gold award, as well as some of the silver award winners, plus a number other Sauvignons during my travels as well-about 40-odd New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, all told. ![]() More than 1,300 wines are entered each year, making it easily the biggest wine competition in New Zealand (and likely the longest-lived-it's been running for over 30 years).
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