With the New Year many of us are trying to eat lighter foods. Chicken, fish, and vegetarian fare are all more likely to appear on our January tables. These meals call for a crisp white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc.
Sauvignon Blanc is a very old varietal, important in white Bordeaux wines, and the Loire valley where it is the grape used for Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. It was recently determined through DNA analysis that Sauvignon Blanc is one of the parent varietals for Cabernet Sauvignon (the other is Cabernet Franc).
Sauvignon Blanc now also is grown in Italy, South Africa, New Zealand, California and elsewhere. Sauvignon Blanc seems to take on quite different flavors depending on where it is grown, but the aroma, with its notes of green apple and citrus, is consistent. Very different wines can be made from Sauvignon Blanc. Some are aged in oak to make a richer tasting wine more like a chardonnay. Others have no oak aging and are very crisp, clean wines.
Several years ago most California Sauvignon Blancs were rather sweet. When Robert Mondavi started making a dry European style Sauvignon Blanc, he called it Fumé Blanc. Some say Mondavi was picking up on the name of the Loire valley Pouilly-Fumé. Others say the name comes from the thick, smoke-like fog that fills the valley. Wherever the source of the name, Fumé Blanc is a dry Sauvignon Blanc. Some California wines are still marketed as Fumé Blanc.
In recent years New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs have made a big splash, particularly the ones from Marlborough on the South Island. The New Zealand wines are lush and fruity and many are remarkable values.
My team of volunteers and I tasted three Sauvignon Blancs – two from California and one from New Zealand.
The two California wines were a 2004 Turning Leaf and a 2004 Robert Mondavi. These were both made in the drier style typical of California Sauvignon Blancs. Try one of these with a firm white fish, sautéed in just a little butter. Deglaze the pan with some of the wine, add some lemon zest and capers. This will bring out the citrus notes in the wine. These crisp wines have the acid needed to cut through the fish and keep the palate refreshed.
The New Zealand wine was a 2005 Mantua. This was done in the lusher New Zealand style, so try it with something different. A warm salad of poached chicken and apple with plain yogurt, served over cucumber and celery will bring out the green apple notes in the wine.
Tasting notes:
Turning Creek 2004 Sauvignon Blanc $6
The Turning Creek was a very pale color with a faint, tart aroma. The flavor was tart and very clean. The aftertaste was very crisp with a hint of lemon.
Robert Mondavi 2004 Sauvignon Blanc $8
Robert Mondavi makes both a Sauvignon Blanc and a more expensive, oakier Fumé Blanc. The Sauvignon Blanc was a very pale straw color. The aroma was livelier than the Turning Leaf, with “more oomph in the nose.” The flavor had a touch of oak, a little more residual sugar, but with the same clean taste underneath. The aftertaste was clean with a note of citrus.
Matua Valley 2005 Marlborough New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc $14
The Matua had essentially no color. The aroma was quite fruity. The flavor was both tart and strongly melon. The aftertaste was citrus with pineapple notes.
In our next column, we will look at Merlot. We will also discuss the basics of wine tasting. As always, comments and suggestions are welcome!