A Grape With A Bad Reputation
The literal translation of the word Sauvignon is Savage. Blanc of course
means white. White Savage! I’m sure there have been other things
throughout history besides a well-known wine grape that has been dubbed
that dubious title before, but in the world of winemaking grapes, Sauvignon
Blanc may well deserve that title. Sauvignon Blanc comes in a vast
quantity of wildly different styles and flavors that are all dependant on the
weather and soils where they are planted just as much as the experience
level of the winemaker that is trying to tame it. If you are a winemaker
that has no experience with this grape, you are bound to have your hands
full of trouble.
Sauvignon Blanc ripens very quickly compared to other wine grapes. That
means you have less time to get things right in the vineyards. It likes to
have moderate amounts of sun, but not too much sun, otherwise it will over-
ripen. The vines grow with a large canopy of leaves that cover the grapes,
which of course needs to be trimmed and thinned out by the grower.
However, that is not as easy as it sounds. If the leave canopy is trimmed
too much, it will let in too much sun and if it is not trimmed enough,
moisture builds up on the grapes causing them to rot on the vine. You see
what a bad little camper Sauvignon Blanc can be?
This noble grape has also had its share of negative light from the wine
buying public here in the states. The first winemaker in California to plant
the grape was Charles Wente of “Wente” wines back in 1858. The quality
of the wine made from the grape gradually improved and during the 60’s
and 70’s, it accounted for roughly 25% of the total white wine production in
California. That is until the Chardonnay boom caught on, taking out
Sauvignon Blanc like a well-executed hit in an episode of the Sopranos.
To make matters worse for Sauvignon Blanc, some well known wise-acre,
dipped his snout into a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and pronounced to the
world that the wine smelled like “Cat’s Pee on a Gooseberry Bush”. Cat’s
pee, now that does not sound very tasty. This poor image did nothing to
persuade consumers to pick up a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. Another
Achilles heel facing Sauvignon Blanc is it’s very make up. People have
become accustomed to Chardonnay and it’s buttery richness and it’s
perceived sweetness. Sauvignon Blanc is very sharp and acidic and
certainly not full-bodied like Chardonnay. Rather it is a delicate thin to
medium bodied wine. Outside of the US, it rarely spends any time in Oak
barrels which impart those toast and vanilla flavors that Americans adore
in their Chardonnays.
On top of all that, the last weakness that the wine possesses, I consider
one of its greatest strengths. That is the fact that the wine comes in such a
wide array of styles from very fruity, to herbal, to ultra-dry, etc…
Consumers become frustrated when they try a different Sauvignon Blanc
and it tastes drastically different from the one they really liked at the
restaurant they ate at last weekend. They don’t trust that they will be
happy with their wine selection when they try a new Sauvignon Blanc. I on
the other hand believe that this is fantastic! We all can agree that when we
go to the supermarket to buy milk, we expect all of the milk, regardless of
the brand to taste like milk, but do we really want homogenized wines??? I
guess some Chardonnay winemakers think so, because the whole market
is saturated with overly oaked Chardonnay wines that people gobble up by
the thousands. Me, I prefer a bit a variety in my life. I enjoy the pleasant
surprise of a wine that genuinely shocks you and I don’t mind the
occasional disappointment when a wine let’s me down. Each wine can
serve its own unique purpose.
As for Sauvignon Blanc’s origin, it can be traced back to the far north of
France in places like the Loire wine region and it is certainly important in
Bordeaux where it makes up a large portion of that regions white wines,
including Bordeaux’s most famous sweet dessert wine, “Sauternes”. It is
also said to be the parent of Cabernet Sauvignon a red grape. Sounds
weird to me, but they both share the “Savage” portion of the name! The
Sauvignon Blanc wine’s from these two wine regions in France, Loire,
which is famous for it’s Pouilly Fume and Sancerre, and Bordeaux, have
long been the benchmark for great examples of the varietal. However,
recently, a newcomer has come along and challenged France for that lofty
position. These would be the Sauvignon Blanc wines from New Zealand
and they are special.
Like Chardonnay, it is grown in most wine-producing countries with some
varying degrees of success; France, Chile, South Africa, Australia, New
Zealand, and in California and Washington in the US. Texas has some
wineries that are even producing Sauvignon Blanc, however, in my humble
opinion; it would be difficult for this early-ripening grape to ever achieve
true greatness in a state as hot as ours.
The French style of Sauvignon Blanc is probably the most food friendly as
they are chucked full of acidity. They tend to be very dry and flinty and a
perfect complement to seafood and light meat dishes. Our California
versions are a bit fruitier in style and some winemakers here in the US
even throw in a little oak barrel fermentation for added nuances in their
wine. Some are put through malolactic fermentation, which is a secondary
fermentation process that softens the acids in the wine, to give the
Sauvignon Blanc more richness in texture and take the edge off of the
acidity. I’m not a huge fan of treating Sauvignon Blanc in either of those
ways because I think by using oak and malolactic fermentation, you are
sacrificing the grapes number one trademark, the fresh and clean acidity.
South Africa, if they could ever get their politics sorted out, could really do
some damage in the market share of Sauvignon Blanc wine's in retail
stores. Their Sauvignon Blanc wines are starting to get some real praise
from wine critics and connoisseurs alike. Australia for all of its
winemaking greatness has vastly underachieved with the varietal, while
Chile has really made great strides with Sauvignon Blanc. However, New
Zealand has really knocked the Sauvignon Blanc ball right out of the park!
They have managed to keep the French style’s high acidic trademark and
throw in some interesting fruit flavors to complement the usual range of
herbal essences in Sauvignon Blanc wines. To me, they have it all!
When I sample some Sauvignon Blanc wines with people that are relatively
new to the wine style, they take a sniff of the wine and look up at me with a
puzzled look on their face and say, “Do I smell freshly mown grass?” To
which I say, “Why yes, yes you do smell freshly mown grass!” Most wines
impart a fruity taste and smell, but Sauvignon Blanc adds another
dimension with its unique vegetal overtones. It would not be uncommon to
find accents of grass, dill, celery, asparagus and green olives in Sauvignon
Blanc. It also can impart floral aromas like orange blossom, honeysuckle
or jasmine and spiced aromas of nutmeg, cloves and musk. Its fruity side
tends to show a bit more citrus than tropical flavors with the likes of lemon,
lime, green apple, pineapple, grapefruit, pear, melon, litchi and mango.
With Sauvignon Blanc’s wide array of fruity flavors, high acidity and it’s
unique herbal characteristics, its no wonder that it is an absolute knockout
with most food and dinner entrées. If you squeeze a lemon in the dish,
drink a Sauvignon Blanc with it! I think it is also the best overall wine
style to cook with since it lends herbal qualities that complement dinner
dishes and it has so much acidity to tame and cut through other wildly
aromatic sauces and spices. With seafood it is a must and it may be the
only wine that can tackle salads and vegetables like a true champion. It is
a wine made to be enjoyed with food.
So go and try a few Sauvignon Blanc wines from different places. Try a
French or South African one and by all means, if you haven’t tried one
from New Zealand yet, what are you waiting for? As consumers become
more educated about wines in our country, they are starting to learn the
role that wine plays with food and just how important the two are together.
Sauvignon Blanc is making a comeback in our country because people are
really finding out how great a food wine it really is. As more and more
people like you start examining all of the facts about Sauvignon Blanc and
tasting the results, I am sure that someday soon, Sauvignon Blanc is going
to beat its bad reputation!
