Sauvignon Blanc
Wild, riotous, herbaceous white — grass, smoke, green herbs, lime, gunflint — with a clean, keen stiletto of acidity through its center.
About the grape
The name sauvignon comes from the French sauvage, 'wild' — a fitting name for both the vine and the wine's riotous, untamed flavors: straw, hay, grass, smoke, green tea, green herbs, lime, and gunflint charge around the mouth with wonderful intensity. The wine appears almost linear on the palate, with a clean, keen stiletto of acidity that vibrates through its center. The most outrageous, tangy sauvignons come from the Loire Valley (Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé), New Zealand, and Austria, followed by South Africa and Chile; in Bordeaux it is blended with sémillon, whose broad character mellows sauvignon's tart herbalness. Poorly made or from unripe grapes it can turn vegetal.
Where it grows
Adelaide Hills, Bordeaux, Casablanca Valley, Central Valley, Hawke's Bay, Margaret River, Marlborough, Martinborough
