Following the Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is a much more interesting grape variety than is often supposed. It’s true that much of it that’s sold around the world is quite generic, designed to be drunk immediately, with signature herbaceous, grassy, cat’s pee aromas. But then most Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are quite generic too.
My new video series, available on patreon, explores the range of wines Sauvignon Blanc is capable of producing and how it’s influenced growing practices across the world. There are six episodes introducing Sauvignon Blanc and detailing the many regions it’s grown in and styles of wine made.
(1) following sauvignon blanc around the world
First off, Sauvignon Blanc is a vigorous variety which means potentially a lot of energy goes into the leaves instead of the berries. This has led to extensive canopy management research in New Zealand and the development of modern training systems. The Marlborough style of Sauvignon Blanc has also led to research into the importance of skin contact before fermentation, with a new understanding that the characteristic aromas of Sauvignon Blanc come from thiols found in the skins which are exaggerated by extended skin contact. Some producers emphasise the style this way; others avoid it completely. There’s a lot going on in the vineyard and in the winery to produce many different types of Sauvignon Blanc.
(2) following the style: new zealand
Fifty years ago, New Zealand wine barely existed; now, its Sauvignon Blanc is one of the recognised styles of wine in the world. It was first planted north of Auckland in 1968; in 1973, the first ever plantings of any vines on the South Island were of Sauvignon Blanc in Marlborough. In 1984, a group of Marlborough winemakers visited Margaret River in Western Australia and tasted with Dave Hohnen, a local winemaker. He was astonished by the wines, and flew out to Marlborough to make Sauvignon Blanc the next year. He called the wine Cloudy Bay and took it back to Australia, where it immediately sold out in restaurants.
Hohnen made the wine in the back of a truck, and this is where skin contact comes in. As Marlborough developed as a wine region, wines were often made in custom crush facilities which meant transporting the grapes from vineyard to winery. That skin contact led to the pungent aromas that are associated with Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, which has influenced producers across the world and continues to be commercially popular.
(3) following the rivers: loire valley
The Loire is the home of Sauvignon Blanc and some of the most famous regions for the variety, such as Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. Sauvignon Blanc is concentrated in central Loire, where the climate is cool continental—closer to the coast it would struggle to ripen. Soil types conduct the style of wine, from fresh, youthful, herbaceous wines to powerful, smoky, ageworthy. There are plenty of other historic appellations for Sauvignon Blanc: Menetou-Salon is similar to more youthful Sancerre; Reuilly more rustic; Quincy very classic. Touraine is a broader region which produces good-value Sauvignon Blanc, with several small sub-regions often named after famous châteaux like Chenonceaux and Amboise.
(4) following the sugar: bordeaux
Bordeaux is now more famous for its red wines from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, but back in the 1960s white grapes were still the most grown. Sémillon was the most planted variety, with Sauvignon Blanc part of blends to add acidity and freshness. In the last decade or so, there’s been a small increase in plantings of white varieties and that’s been concentrated on Sauvignon Blanc which comes in different styles. There’s the simple wines of Entre-deux-Mers, the more complex wines of Graves, the world-class blends of Pessac-Léognan, and the sweet wines of Sauternes. Sauvignon Blanc-Sémillon blends are very different creatures to Loire or New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.
(5) following the unknown: the rest of europe
European Sauvignon Blanc is so strongly associated with France that it’s easy to overlook that it’s grown all across the continent. It’s well-suited to Germany’s cool climate; excels in Steiermark in southern Austria and over the mountains in Slovenia, Alto Adige, and Friuli; and it’s also a popular variety in Czechia. There’s also Sauvignon Blanc grown across Eastern Europe, and even all the way down in Israel. Going back to France, there’s the St-Bris appellation, the only one in Burgundy that is devoted to Sauvignon Blanc, and there’s plenty planted in Languedoc (more than the rest of France combined) even if it’s not especially well-suited to the variety: that’s never stopped Languedoc producers.
(6) following the sunshine: the rest of the world
Australia has swallowed its pride and been influenced by New Zealand: plantings of Sauvignon Blanc have risen from 20ha in the 1970s to 6,500ha+ now. It’s the most planted variety in Adelaide Hills, an emerging cooler-climate region. In Margaret River, the wines are more Bordeaux influenced with Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc blends. That’s true of Stellenbosch in South Africa, although there are also New Zealand style wines made in the warm Mediterranean climate which are good and affordable.
In California, Sauvignon Blanc’s history has taken many different turns. Blanc Fumé was a style popularised by Robert Mondavi in the 1960s, influenced by both the Loire and Bordeaux. Its smoky, oaky style is still made in Napa in small amounts, but across California commercial styles are more like New Zealand: herbaceous and grassy. It’s also grown successfully in Washington, where more should be planted, and Long Island in New York where it has an interesting future.
Finally, there’s Chile where Sauvignon Blanc has often been confused with Sauvignonasse (or Sauvignon Vert, or Friulano in Italy). New plantings have focused on the cooler coastal climates of Casablanca, San Antonio, and Leyda which produce subtly different styles. The world of Sauvignon Blanc is far more complicated than an obvious glass of Marlborough, which is what this series explores in detail.
