Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc 2007

California is not known for sauvignon blanc, and what it does produce gets very mixed reviews. Seemingly unable to find a niche, like New Zealand and its zesty citrus driven SB's or Sancerre and its mineral-laced wines, many California wineries treat Sauvignon Blanc too much like chardonnay. What this means is too much oak and too much opulence for a wine that should be acidic and refreshing. With all the sun that the state gets, however, it can be tough to find the right balance. Spottswoode, a Napa producer known more for their elegant Cabernet Sauvignons, is one of the few that gets it right.

How do they do it? First of all, this wine sees only a brief touch of oak, and is picked relatively early in the growing season. Instead of dominant oak, this is fermented in steel vats and concrete eggs, the former allowing the natural acidities of the wine to show and the latter making the fruit rounder and lusher without the flavour profile that oak imparts. The final result? A wine with tons of citrus fruit on the nose, but also grass, stone and clay. The palate is wonderfully full bodied, but also amazingly spritely given the intensity of the fruit. The finish is long and clay-like, suggesting this wine could find a place between New Zealand and Sancerre. And, what did it taste like? Orange, grapefruit, stone, and a slight edge of that distinctive cat's pee taste SB fans know and love. This is a wine that lifts the palate upwards before drawing it back into a carefully structured and lengthy climax, and is perhaps my favourite Sauvignon Blanc from the US. Woth every penny.

Excellent
$54 at Marquis

Thelema Sauvignon Blanc 2007

Sauvignon Blanc at reasonable price points tends to fit into a few well delineated pockets: the acid driven steely basic mineral concoction from France, the super rich, fruit and alcoholic versions from California and the Zesty citrus and grass firebrands from New Zealand. This particular Sauv Blanc, however, comes to us not from one of these three classic regions, but from the oft-neglected South Africa.

Thelema is a highly regarded producer down there, and luckily we get a few of their offerings on the other side of the world in BC. This Sauvignon Blanc really shone past its price point with quince, baking spices and pine on the nose. Defying typicity for an under $30 wine, the palate was massively flavourful and much more complex than expected: zesty lemon, quince, spice, and cloves. Full in the mouth, but fresh and zippy on the finish, this should be a destination summer white.

Very Good+ and Highly Recommended
$25 at BCLDB or Marquis

Paul et Jean-Marc Pastou La Cote de Jury Vieille Vignes Sancerre 2006

For those seeking great cutting whites at recession prices, the Loire valley is the first place to look. Sancerre is, of course, the most famous region within the Loire, but it is still producing some superb wines at great prices. This is one such wine. Barrel selected by North Berkeley Wine Merchants (god I love it here, where a wine store barrel selects wine from great producers around the world).

The nose had round orchard fruits and subtle minerals. Simple, but still layered and enticing. The palate is quite tart with lemon and a very sharp citrus bite that slides into a mineral strike in the mid-palate. Mostly restrained in its fruit, this is meant for food, but is a great wine for that purpose. Try this with some tasty goat's cheese such as a Chabichou. Very nice for what it does.


Very Good
$20 at North Berkeley Wine Merchants

Orin Swift Veladora Sauvignon Blanc Tofanelli Vineyard 2005

So I am just back from Spring Break with a huge pile of notes to write up from Napa, the Rhone Rangers tasting, and a trip to Santa Barbara County. But, before all that excitement begins, I thought I'd write up this under the radar David Phinny wine (winemaker for the Prisoner) produced to support the farmers that Phinny relies on to make his amazing wines.

This Suav Blanc was very dark yellow and had a thick nose of toast, oak, white chocolate and caramel. The palate was very rich, replete with orchard fruits such as papaya and apples (more like apple pie). Full, rich, and round, this is a massive sauv blanc that is made almost like a chard (maybe some malo-lactic here). Yet, there is a distinct flavour profile here and it is hard to deny how awesome this is for the money.

Very Good+
$25 at Liquid Wine and Spirits

Ojai McGinley Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2007

I am not a huge fan of most American Sauv Blancs - they tend to either be over-oaked, dull, and lifeless, or simplistic and unbalanced. This particular wine, however, (which was formerly known as Westerly Vineyard), is a great exception.

From one of the Santa Ynez Valley's most consistent producers, this Sauv Blanc had a very expressive nose of apple, grapefruit and passionfruit. But the extensive and deep palate is where the true stand-out qualities of Ojai's underappreciated little Sauvignon shine. Smooth, minerally, and truly citrus-tastic - this has brighter minerality and acidity than New Zealand Sauv Blanc's, but more fruit than a Loire Sauvignon and maybe a very tiny touch of oak. It's really quite a remarkable combination of elements and any Sauvignon Blanc lover absolutely must taste this wine. A personal favourite and highly recommended.

Excellent
$29 US at various online stores

Alphonse Mellot 'La Moussiere' Sancerre 2006

Sancerre is a wonderful thing: the understated elegant version of Sauvignon Blanc. Alphonse Mellot is one of my favourite good value producers in Sancerre, and this particular wine's tart apple nose became a wonderful blend of pear, apple, river stones, and lime. The texture was smooth, light and very elegant in the mouth. Especially good with Crottin de Chauvignol cheese.

Very Good+

$35 at Marquis

Thelema Mountain Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2007

Now here is a brilliant South African Producer. This Sauv Blanc was fresh, very aromatic and filled with complex rocky and stony mineral flavours, powerful pomello rind, and a touch of grassyness. Bone dry and unoaked, what made this so special was the exceptional structure and very robust depth to the flavour profile. If you like Sauv Blanc at all this is a must try and definitely a best in class type of bottle. I can't wait to try their Cabernet.

Excellent

$25 at Marquis (also available at other private stores)

Ojai Santa Ynez Valley Sauvignon Blanc Westerly Vineyard 2006

Ojai, a well respected boutique winery in Central California, made its reputation off of its big boned and heady Syrah's. I hope to do a bit more extensive of an Ojai tasting, including a Syrah, some time this summer, but this occasion called for a simple but tasty match to wondefully fresh Arctic Char. Sauv Blanc in California is all over the radar and it can be difficult to know when a wine will be a proper effort or some unoaked plonk to pan off on tourists who can't afford the higher priced bottlings. Luckily, this was the former rather than the latter.

Good Sauv Blanc can have perhaps my favourite nose of any white wine. This delivers with a grassy, rich and round nose that opens into a palate of apple, butterscotch and rich minerals. The buttery yellow colour foretold the viscous texture and full mouthfeel. A very very good Sauvignon Blanc.

Excellent

$38 at Marquis

Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc Te Muna Road Vineyard 2007

As much as New Zealand Sauv Blancs get slack from the average self-styled connoisseur these days, there are still many shining examples of superb Sauv Blanc coming from this oft-forgotten isle. Craggy Range has an excellent reputation, and this is the best NZ Sauv Blanc I've had since Cloudy Bay.

Rich and sumptuous, this grapefruit and orange laced liquid also boasted a big peach and peach pie nose that was simply beautiful. The acidity was quite low, but this just brought out more of the deliciousness of the orchard fruits. A fantastic creation.

Very Good+

$38 at BCLDB

Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc 2006

A while back I reviewed the Cloudy Bay Sauv Blanc, giving it an excellent rating and noting that the winemakers behind Cloudy Bay had started another project. Well, this is that project. Dog Point sports an interesting spikey logo on the simple label which connotes some of the spikey character of the wine. I picked this up on a trip to Toronto at the LCBO for $22 - a steal. For some reason it is $11 more here in Vancouver and I think I'd rather go for the Cloudy Bay for $2 more.

This good value gem is like eating a juicy grapefruit on a bed of fresh cut grass on a fresh spring day as your new kitten comes by and pees on your leg. If that description doesn't get you hankering for a sip, what will! The wine has decent acidity but doesn't need to be consumed with food. The texture is silky and yet has a tangy freshness that keeps the mouth awake. The clay-like flavours are subdued, and while the wine has a tinge of cheap sauv-blanc-ness to it, it rises above the regular with its structure, texture, and finish. Plus, the nose is just entrancing.

Very Good+

$22 at LCBO, $33 at Kitsilano Wine Cellars

Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2006

I am not one who is usually into whites. However, a good friend of mine was raised on white wine and never drank reds until I convinced him otherwise. Part of this process involved each of us bringing a bottle (or 2) of our favourite red/white and using it to convince the other to switch allegiences. I'm happy to say that while I wasn't converted to whites, I gained a new appreciation for them, and this wine was one of the ones he brought over. I just had it again, and it lives up to the memory.

The wine is quite pale, even for a sauv blanc; however it still has a lot of character and body. The nose is powerful and pretty grapefruity. The palate is strong on the grapefruit/pomelo with a nice hint of passion fruit. The wine has a lovely buttery texture, but not like cheap crappy over-oaked chardonnay. I believe the original wine makers at Cloudy Bay have moved on to other projects, but I think their legacy is still quite good (although I've heard not as good as it used to be). Given how much I like this wine, I'm going to seek out their new premium winery project (Dog Head I think...). Anyhow, the wine has a nice finish and a firm yet not overbearing structure. Well worth it.

Excellent
$35 at BCLDB