During the pandemic, Sauvignon Blanc became the go-to wine in the United States. Wine sales during the summer of 2020 showed that 38% of all wine sold in the U. S. was Sauvignon Blanc. This was followed closely by red blends, Moscato, Pinot Noir, and Rosé. This isn’t surprising considering that the crisp tropical and herbal flavors of Sauvignon Blanc are refreshing and delicious during the hot summer months. But what is Sauvignon Blanc? Let’s dig a little deeper to see what all the fuss is about.
Sauvignon Blanc is a green-skinned grape that originated in the Bordeaux region of France. Its name most likely comes from the French word sauvage (“wild”) and blanc (“white”). Experts believe that it is descended from Savagnin, a grape found in Jura, France, an area located in eastern France near the Swiss border. Sauvignon Blanc is planted in many of the world’s wine regions. It produces white wines that are dry, crisp, and refreshing. It is the grape used to make the famous dessert wine from Bordeaux known as Sauternes. It’s grown in Chile, France, Canada, Bulgaria, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, California, and Washington.
In California, Robert Mondavi and others refer to their Sauvignon Blanc as Fumé Blanc, an homage to wines made in Pouilly-Fumé, an AOC in the Loire Valley, France. For those unfamiliar with French wine terminology, AOC stands for Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée. In essence, it’s the designation of origin. In France, certifications are granted to certain geographical locations for the production of wine, cheese, butter, and other agricultural products. It’s equivalent to the designation of origin (D.O.) in Spain.
Climate determines the flavor profile of wines made from Sauvignon Blanc. In cooler climates, the wines tend to have high acidity with noticeable green aromas like grass and bell peppers with tropical fruit and floral notes–most notably, passion fruit and elderflower. In warmer climates, the tropical notes become more pronounced, but the warmer temperature can cause those aromas to disappear, leaving grapefruit and peach flavors and aromas instead.
Sauvignon Blanc is usually seen as a single-varietal wine, although it is sometimes blended with Sémillon. It is usually aged in neutral vessels such as stainless steel. It’s distinctive herbaceous characteristics are easily overwhelmed by new oak barrels. Sauvignon Blanc is best consumed when young. Even the best examples of this wine lose their fresh aromas within a couple of years. Older Sauvignon Blanc tends to develop undesirable vegetal aromas.
In the Loire Valley, Sauvignon Blanc is the only white grape permitted in the Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé AOC’s. These two AOC’s face each other across the Loire River. This area has a cool climate which produces dry white wines with high acidity and aromas of green apple, grass, asparagus, and sometimes wet stones. There are also some amazing examples of Sauvignon Blanc from the Touraine AOC, located just west of Sancerre.
Bordeaux produces a broad range of styles of Sauvignon Blanc. Here, the simplest examples from Bordeaux have fresh aromas of grass and green apple, while the wines from Graves AOC and Pessac-Léognan AOC are more concentrated and complex. These wines tend to be blends of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, another white-skinned grape from Bordeaux. Sémillon adds body to the blend and also helps the wine to age.
The cool to moderate climate in the Marlborough region of New Zealand has become the epicenter of Sauvignon Blanc in recent years. Here, the grape has more pronounced characteristics than those from France. The wines are usually a blend of Sauvignon Blanc from different sites or harvested at different ripeness levels. The wines therefore display a broad range of fruit flavors: lemon, passion fruit, and peach. These flavors alongside pronounced green bell pepper and asparagus produce some remarkably interesting wines. Marlborough winemakers are keen on experimentation. They’ve begun to work with grapes from cooler climates to produce a style similar to the Loire Valley. Some winemakers there have also begun to experiment with oak aging and lees contact to add complexity and body to their wines. Lees are the dead yeast cells left over after the fermentation process. These cells add desirable flavors and aromas to wines when they are not immediately filtered out after the fermentation process has finished.
The Margaret River region of Western Australia is also making a name for itself with its Sauvignon Blanc. They produce both single-varietal wines as well as Sauvignon Blanc blended with Sémillon. Here the wines are concentrated, with grassy aromas. They’ve also begun to use oak in the aging process. The Adelaide Hills in South Australia have vineyards that are cooled by both altitude and ocean breezes. Wines from this area are fresh and fruity with a broad range of citrus and tropical fruit flavors and aromas. There are also some examples from this region that blend Sauvignon Blanc with Sémillon to produce wine that are much fuller in body with some potential for aging.
South Africa’s Sauvignon Blanc plantings are concentrated in the coastal regions. It’s too warm to grow the grape inland. Constantia, just south of Cape Town, is cooled by breezes from the Southern Ocean. Sauvignon Blanc produced here is refreshing with ripe tropical-fruit and herbaceous aromas. Elgin, a much smaller region, is cooled by elevation. It is the coolest wine producing region in South Africa. Sauvignon Blanc here shows green apple with some minerality, namely wet stones.
The climate in California is generally too warm to grow Sauvignon Blanc. The notable exception is the Napa Valley. The cooler climate in Napa can produce the characteristic acidity and herbaceous notes associated with Sauvignon Blanc. Wine makers here like to use oak to add body and smokiness to their wines.
Sauvignon Blancs popularity continues to grow throughout the wine drinking world. It’s refreshing and can be enjoyed with or without food. It is one of the few wines that pairs well with Sushi, one of my favorite summer foods. Whether you like the classic styles from France or the New World Styles of New Zealand, Australia, South Africa or Chile, there is a style of Sauvignon Blanc for almost everyone’s taste. The next time you’re in the mood for something new, why not try Sauvignon Blanc? You may find a new go-to wine.