2011 ~ No. 5    

SAUVIGNON BLANC

If Port is the wine many people cozy up to in winter, Sauvignon Blanc is the bottle that gets tucked into the cooler at the beach, hangs out on the back patio on a sunny summer afternoon, or provides some refreshment at the outdoor concert/movie/family picnic that inevitably falls on the hottest night of the year.

In other words, this zesty, zingy white is the official wine of summer.

The exact ancestry of the Sauvignon Blanc grape is unclear. It may have originated in western France or could be a descendant of Savignin, another French varietal grown today in the country’s Jura region. It also has been associated with the Carménère family.

What is known is that, sometime in the 18th century, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc became parents to Cabernet Sauvignon, the greatest red grape out there.

And though Sauvignon Blanc also plays an important role in making some of the world’s best dessert wines from Sauternes and Barsac, this discussion focuses solely on the crisp, dry wines made from this delightful grape.

It is grown around the world, but three major regions are particularly renowned for their Sauvignon:

France

Within France, there are two great areas for this wine. The first, Bordeaux, is best known for its red wines, but a small amount of delicious dry white wine is crafted here as well. Look for ones from Entre-Deux-Mers, Graves or Pessac-Léognan.

The other is the Loire Valley, with the best Sauvignon coming from the areas of Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé.

Though both French, these wines have different flavor profiles. The Loire vines grow in a combination of chalk and Kimmeridgean marl, soils that give the wine a richness and complexity. Bordeaux Sauvignon grows in gravel and sediment or compact sand-silt soil, which result in a wine that is fruitier in flavor. Plus, the Loire’s crisp, minerally version is typically 100% Sauvignon. The Bordelais will often blend Sémillon into the wine, adding to its richness.

New Zealand

In one of the wine world’s greatest success stories, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc exploded into the wine market in the 1990s, a mere 20 years after the grapes were planted in the country’s vineyards.

On the South Island, Marlborough is the country’s most famous appellation for this wine – and the most desirable for winemakers. It offers growers a sandy-slate soil that offers good drainage and low fertility. This causes the vines to struggle a bit, developing more concentrated flavors as a result of the lower yields.

The Wairau River area, also on the South Island, is on a flood plain and therefore offers a range of soils. Wine from vineyards with heavier soil tends to be more herbaceous, while stonier soils result in wines that are more tropical and fruity.

From the North Island, Hawke’s Bay, with its alluvial valleys and notably stony soil, is home to numerous well-regarded Sauvignon producers.

California

Though there are other parts of North America that grow Sauvignon, California is by far the leader when it comes to this wine. The first Sauvignon cuttings arrived here in the 1880s, many coming from the Bordeaux vineyards of Chateau d’Yquem, the greatest sweet wine producer in the world. (Much of the Sauvignon planted in California today are clones of these prestigious vines.)

Robert Mondavi is responsible for really bringing this wine to our attention, when he crafted and sold it under the name Fumé Blanc, to capitalize on the French version from Pouilly Fumé. Mondavi used barrel ageing to soften the sometimes aggressively herbaceous qualities of the wine and give it a rounder feel with more melony flavors.

This style is still used, though many vintners choose to make unoaked Sauvignon, which is generally a more tropical, New Zealand-style wine. (And many winemakers choose to a combination, fermenting a percentage of the wine in oak, the balance in stainless, and blending the two prior to bottling.)

About one-third of the state’s Sauvignon vines are planted in Napa and Sonoma, but versions from the Monterrey and Santa Barbara regions are also standouts.

In addition to these well-known Sauvignon appellations, a number of other places are becoming known for their versions of this wine. Look for ones from South Africa’s Stellenbosch district, or from Collio, Friuli or Alto Adige, cool climate appellations of northern Italy.

WHAT'S WITH ALL THE FLAVORS?

So, Sauvignon Blanc can be fresh and grassy, rounded and melony or crisp and minerally? Or some bizarre hybrid of all three? What gives - it’s the same grape, right?

Yes, but several factors are at work here.

The first is the French notion of terroir, that a climate, soil type, vineyard elevation and other such influences give a wine a distinct sense of place. Under this theory, a New Zealand Sauvignon will naturally have different flavors and textures than a French one.

(For a visual example of terroir, these photos show the heavier Pessac-Leognan soils on the left and stonier Kimmeridgian soil of the Loire on the right.)

Secondly, Sauvignon Blanc is strongly influenced by winemaking technique, as indicated by Mondavi’s success with Fumé Blanc. He used oak to round out flavors and soften acidity; in contrast, the use of stainless steel results in a very sharply focused, intensely flavored wine. (Today, Mondavi’s Fumé uses both techniques.)

In another example of the winemaker’s influence, the first pressed juice for a white wine is often removed from the skins right away, keeping a fresh, fruity feel.

However, some winemakers choose to leave the juice with the skins for a prolonged period of time, resulting in Sauvignon that has a sharper intensity and more pungent flavors.

Winemakers can also vary the temperature of fermentation to change the wine’s character. The French generally prefer a warmer fermentation, which brings out the wine’s minerality. A cooler fermentation gives the wine more tropical fruit character.

And there are still other factors that impact the wine’s final flavor. To give one example, Sauvignon Blanc’s famous catbox odor can result from grapes that are harvested before they are sufficiently ripe, or that didn’t get enough sun exposure during the growing season.

It can be enough to drive you mad. But before you let it, try this fun experiment. Buy six bottles of Sauvignon from six different regions and taste them together. Odds are you will find six wines with different textures and flavors, though all will have Sauvignon’s signature crisp, racy refreshment.

YARRA VALLEY UPDATE

Brian Ingleson, my delightful guide through the Yarra Valley, sent an update on the region’s wine news that seems worth passing on. It sounds like we’re in for some good drinking from this region!

The Yarra’s 2011 vintage has been wet and cool, with mixed opinions on its success. It seems like early-picked fruit like Chardonnay and Pinot will turn into good wine; the jury is still out on late ripeners like Cabernet and Shiraz.

Brian has also been tasting some pre-release 2010s, and reports that the Chardonnay and Pinots are “impressive…in a lighter style” with a “good acid backbone” that should cellar well.

He also passes on news from two of the wineries I had the chance to visit. First, Mark and Fiona at Pimpernel have finally opened their cellar door and winery – hooray! And Yarra Yering has bought the vineyard next door to them. Called Warramate, it is currently closed for renovations.