When it comes to consumer interest in white wines, all white grapes take a back seat to chardonnay; but sauvignon blanc enjoys an increasingly strong second place. California Sauvignon Blanc is a good barometer, especially since there arguably is more good California Sauvignon Blanc on the market than ever.
The grape has a noble heritage as a parent (with cabernet franc) of cabernet sauvignon. It is responsible for the Loire Valley wines of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé and, with semillon, the white Bordeaux of Graves and Sauternes. It also has found hospitable surroundings in New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, and Chile.
Sauvignon Blanc is one of the world’s most widely planted grape varieties. It is responsible for famed French wines of Bordeaux and the Loire Valley and has found hospitable surroundings in Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, and Chile.
Its flavor profile ranges from assertively aromatic and refreshing with brisk green citrus (lime, gooseberry) but also other citrus, especially grapefruit, and a distinctive herbaceousness (sometimes fresh cut hay or grass) to melon, tropical, nectarine, peach or stone fruits with anise or oak spice.
Most of the wines are fermented and aged in stainless steel to emphasize fresh, varietal characteristics, while some use small amounts of mostly neutral oak to round out flavors and texture.
In recent years, wineries have employed a wider variety of vessels, including concrete tanks, stainless steel barrels, and amphorae, for fermentation and aging, along with practices such as lees stirring to build complexity and texture.
There were two excellent everyday values from the Dry Creek Vineyard in my tasting. Both are focused on varietal character and the grape’s trademark racy acidity. The Sonoma County “Fumé” ($16) is aromatic, juicy with spicy herbs; the Dry Creek Valley ($20) emphasizes citrus, melon and licorice.
As consumer friendly as these wines are, I found more complexity and flavor interest as prices escalated. Also, I was surprised when I reviewed my tasting notes that all but one of these is from Napa. They are listed in order of preference but all are recommended:
- 2017 Ashes and Diamonds Blanc No. 3 ($45) blend of equal parts semillon and sauvignon blanc; lush mouthfeel, bright structure, only 11.9% alcohol
- 2020 Spottswoode ($42) Sonoma and Napa fruit; intense citrus, herbal spice, textural richness, balanced with vibrant structure
- 2020 Gamble ($35) from an estate vineyard near Yountville, brisk, citrus, licorice, spice
- 2019 Cliff Lede Napa Valley ($28) elegant, tangy citrus, pear, herbal
- 2020 Duckhorn ($32) aromatic, focused citrus, tropical, herbal, elegant
- 2019 Acumen Mountainside ($30) Napa Valley winery but Dry Creek Valley grapes; bright citrus, succulent
- 2019 Chalk Hill Estate ($33) from the Chalk Hill area in eastern Sonoma; rich honeydew, lemon, and tropical fruit
- 2019 The Paring Santa Ynez Valley ($25) vibrant, gooseberry, lemongrass
- 2020 Ladera Ryan’s Vineyard ($36) from Oak Knoll District of southern Napa, fresh hay citrus, melon, spicy
- 2020 Alma de Cattleya ($22) Sonoma fruit; spicy herb, juicy melon, citrus
- 2020 Cuvaison Méthode Béton ($40) deep citrus, graceful creaminess, refreshing melon, juicy lemon, persistent
- 2019 Cuvaison En Cigare ($40) fermented and aged in cigar-shaped oak barrels; taut citrus, lemongrass, rich mouthfeel