Sauvignon Blanc, A Grape I Love To Explore

Not a fan previously? Give it a chance after learning a bit more about the styles made from this grape, I know there is a style for you.

Sauvignon Blanc is one of those tremendous grapes that can give you a whole bunch of wonderful styles for every palate. From young, fresh and fruity to complex, creamy and age worthy to lusciously sweet blended dessert wine. If you are reading this rolling your eyes thinking there is no way you will like a Sauvignon Blanc, I bet you will, just keep reading to understand a little more about this grape.

Design by Kate

Some fun little facts

Sauvignon Blanc ⁠is one of the grapes responsible for creating the Cabernet Sauvignon grape (the other grape is Cabernet Franc). It is called Fumé Blanc for some silly reason in California, these wines usually spend some time in oak. It is a thinner skinned grape and therefor it is prone to noble rot ( see photo below) and helps make the famous Sauternes wines from the Bordeaux region in France. It is a "wild" grapevine to control, which is probably why the name comes from the French word “sauvage”, meaning wild.

Photo credit Michael Olivier

Sauvignon Blanc, an aromatic grape

An aromatic grape is one that has floral and herbal aromas from compounds that come from the grape, but in the non wine nerd world, it means the aromas are so intense you can smell them without really even putting your nose down deep into the glass.

Photo credit Wine With Hannah

Sauvignon Blanc wines can have aromas and flavors of :

• green apple

• elderflower

• green bell pepper

• asparagus

• wet stones

• passion fruit

• grass

• gooseberry

• grapefruit

** you may smell other aromas, these are the typical aromas

These wines really change flavor profiles depending on the climate they are grown in and their ripeness at harvest. The grapes thrive in cool to moderate climates around the world. In cooler climates you see more tree fruit characteristics and in warmer climates the wines have more tropical fruit notes. ⁠⁠ A fun thing to do is try a Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre, France and one from Marlborough, New Zealand and see how different they are side by side.

Photo credit Elephant Hill

A little on wine making

Because Sauvignon blanc is an aromatic grape, many wine makers will be careful to preserve the primary aromas and flavors of the grape. The grapes are usually pressed quickly after harvest and then the juice is fermented at cool temperatures in stainless steel or concrete vessels to protect the wine from oxygen. They are almost always fermented until dry, meaning there is very little detectable residual sugar. You may have thought in the past that Sauvignon Blanc wines were sweet because of how fruity and flavorful they can be, but now you will know that it really is their fruity aromas and flavors being so abundant.

Photo credit Getty images

The other styles of Sauvignon Blanc

There are other styles of Sauvignon Blancs being made, you can find oak aged wines that very different and wonderful. In California, a lot of Pouilly Fumé wines have seen oak as well as wines from Pessac-Léognan in Bordeaux, France.

When you hear me, or other wine industry people saying things like “this wine has seen oak” or “this wine spent time in oak” this just means, at some point in the winemaking process the wine maker made the decision to let the wine either ferment or age in an oak barrel. Oak barrels let the wines have subtle oxidation, but they also can impart aromas and flavors into the wine if they are new oak barrels or if the wine spends a lot of time in them. When these wines have been aged in oak and even sometimes undergone something called Malolactic Fermentation, the wines will be creamy and maybe even a little spicy (think more baking spice), more complex and fuller in body.

In Bordeaux you will find Sauvignon Blanc that has been made into sweet dessert wines called Sauternes. These wines are usually a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. The Sauvignon Blanc gives acidity and fruit aromas and flavors to this wine. This style of sweet dessert wine is made in other places around the world as well, but this is the area most famous and found in most wine shops.

Photo credit Chateau Suduiraut

Sauvignon Blancs to try

Below I have broken down by country some Sauvignon Blancs to try that are readily available in the American market. This is a very limited list with a lot of well known producers, there are so many wonderful smaller producers making this wine, but I was trying to find wines available to a broad audience. You should always try the smaller wineries when you can, they don’t produce enough wines to get into such big markets, but they are just as wonderful.

New Zealand:

• Framingham

• Otto’s Constant Dream

• Nautilus

• Matua

California:

• Cakebread

• Ferrari-Carano Fumé Blanc

• Chalk Hill Estate

• Merry Edwards

France:

• Pascal Jolivet Sancerre

• Les Franches Pouilly-Fumé

• Henri Bourgeois Sancerre Les Baronnes Blanc

• J. de Villebois Pouilly-Fumé

Chile:

• Prisma

• Lapostelle Grand Selection

• Casillero del Diablo

• Leyda Coastal Vineyard Garuma

Unique:

• Far Niente Dolce (blend of Sauvignon Blanc + Semillon, sweet)

• Orbis Moderandi Petillant Naturel

• Chateau Laribotte Sauternes (blend of Sauvignon Blanc + Semillon, sweet)

• Chateau Suduiraut Sauternes (blend of Sauvignon Blanc + Semillon, sweet)

I just had a Sauvignon Blanc pet-nat for the first time

Pet-nat stands for petillant naturel, this simply means naturally sparkling, also called ancestral method sparkling wine, but that isn’t “in fashion” with the kids today, I guess. In a very simplified way, the wine is fermented in the bottle and produces carbon dioxide which is trapped in the bottle which produces bubbles.

Orbis Moderandi Petillant Naturel was the first sparkling wine I had ever had from this grape, and only a few weeks ago. If you can find it in your market, I highly recommend trying it. Like any bottle with bubbles, please make sure you have it well chilled before attempting to open as there is a lot of pressure in the bottle. Pour slowly to not disrupt the sediment on the bottom. Don’t let that sediment scare you, this is a natural wine, the sediment is totally normal.

Photo by Kate

If you have a favorite Sauvignon Blanc I would love to know, please share in comments. I love trying new producers and hearing others thoughts on wine. The beauty of this world is everyone has a different palate so everyone has their own tastes which make it so wonderful.