Sauvigon Blanc from Around the World




It’s not like we really need a special day to enjoy Sauvignon Blanc, but the wine industry designated one recently.   And so we gathered an interesting selection of Sauvignon Blanc from various wine regions of the world, and proceeded to taste them. 

I started with a Sancerre,  which has long been my favorite white wine with fish.  It pairs so magnificently with New England lobster that I can’t imagine going to Boston and having lobster there without a bottle of Sancerre at the table. 

The Sancerre I chose is the Domaine de la Perriere Sancerre 2013, produced by Saget La Perrier, a leading premium winery in the Loire Valley of France.  Managed now for 9 generations of Saget family owners,  currently the brothers Jean-Louis Saget and Christian Saget were brought up in the vineyards and learned to respect the soil and the vines from a young age.   Their love is reflected in this Sancerre.

This is a dry white wine with flowery fruit flavors that linger for a long time on the palate, and the characteristic minerality that defines most Sauvignon Blanc, along with a somewhat grassy aroma.  12.5 percent alcohol.  Suggested retail price is $24.99.

Next up, the Dashwood Sauvignon Blanc 2013 hails from from New Zealand’s Marlborough region, where the winds whip through the valleys each day and where towering mountains frame the vineyards.  Dashwood produces wines that are certified as sustainably grown, in vineyards in the Awatere and Wairau sub-regions of Marlborough.  This Sauvignon Blanc has an incredible aroma and a wonderful structure.  The fruit flavor is bright and fresh and zesty.  You’ll taste stone fruit like apple and pear, citrus, and some tropical flavors too.  13 percent alcohol.  Suggested retail price is $14.99

Casablanca, Chile, is the next wine region for our Sauvignon Blanc Day celebration.  The Los Vascos Sauvignon Blanc 2013 is a result of the vision of Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) to expand their estate by growing in South America.  Los Vascos was the first French viticultural investment in modern Chile.

This is a very fine wine at a very moderate price.  The Los Vascos Sauvignon Blanc is lively and refreshing with a perfect balance of fruit and acidity.  The spring and early summer of 2013 were cold in Casablanca, and the resulting late harvest yielded very aromatic grapes. The winemaker chose to express these remarkable aromas in this wine, and the bouquet is of lemon,  grapefruit and exotic fruit, with an aroma we don’t often get in other Sauvignon Blancs: boxwood.  Really scrumptious.  13 percent alcohol.  Suggest retail price of $13.99.  Grab some for the summer.  You won’t regret it.


This information appeared in the June 12 issue of The Tahoe Weekly, in myWine Time column

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