Tasting the Big 9: Sauvignon Blanc

Here's some basic information regarding this particular grape:

• Sauvignon Blanc makes white wines with high acidity and a hallmark green note - green fruit, herb or vegetable.
• For lean, tart, minerally Sauvignon Blanc, look to colder climates, like France and Northern Italy.
• For richer, riper, rounder Sauvignon Blanc, look to California or the Southern Hemisphere.
• To find Sauvignon Blanc wines from France, look for wines labeled Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, Quincy, Reuilly or Menetou-Salon, all of which are made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc.
• Fumé Blanc is another name for Sauvignon Blanc in the United States. It's typically, but not always, used for oaked versions.
• Sauvignon Blanc is often blended with Semillon. In the New World, wine labels will say so; in Bordeaux, the blend isn't mentioned on the label.
  

Want to find some varieties to compare? Try finding wines from these areas:

France vs. New Zealand:
A Loire Sauvignon Blanc such as a Sancerre or a Pouilly-Fumé
A New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc

Fresh or Smoked?:
Unoaked American Sauvignon Blanc like Cakebread, Chateau Souverain, Frog's Leap, Matanzas Creek or most other California bottlings
Oaked American Sauvignon Blanc such as a Fumé Blanc from Chateau St. Jean, Dry Creek Vineyards, Grgich or Robert Mondavi Winery

Down Under:
A South African Sauvignon Blanc like Le Bonheur, Mulderbosch, Porcupine Ridge, Thelema or any other from Stellenbosch or the Western Cape
A Chilean Sauvignon Blanc from Casablanca Valley like Concha y Toro Terrunyo, Santa Rita or Veramonte
An Australian Sauvignon-Semillon blend such as Alice White, Lindemans or Rosemount