Sauvignon Blanc

“Cat’s pee on a gooseberry bush.”  That is often an initial introduction to Sauvignon Blanc. For a budding wine enthusiast is at once terrifying (you want me to drink what?) and relieving (finally wine descriptors that make sense!). Of course, Sauvignon Blanc is so much more than that memorable phrase. This green-skinned grape most likely hails from France’s Loire Valley, where it can blindingly shine in the Kimmeridgian limestone and Silex flint. As the third most planted white variety in France, Sauvignon Blanc (from the French for sauvage, meaning wild), is also comfortably at home in Bordeaux, blending in harmony with Semillon; and also throughout Languedoc-Roussillon, contributing greatly to simple and tart Pays d’Oc. 

The highly vigorous grape is widely adaptable, spreading as easily worldwide as its tangled and aggressive foliage. All things green are its hallmark: grass, hedge, meadow, asparagus, kiwi, green peppers, gooseberries, as well as passionfruit and elderflower in slightly warmer climates. Crisp, piercing acidity permeates all wines, save for those harvested in the hottest regions, and helps preserve freshness and zest in late harvest or oaked examples. The grape rocketed to fame over the past 20 years in New Zealand, finding a prime home for a concentrated, pungent, fresh and unoaked style.