Sauvignon Blanc

Oberon is a project by the Michael Mondavi family making quality wines from California. The winemaker is long time industry veteran Tony Coltrin. This is a reasonably priced Sauvignon Blanc that tries to forge its own identity from a grape that can be very distinctive depending on where it was grown and made. It is light green in color with a bit of silvery/gold hues. Clear and bright. The nose has a nice minerality, slight tropical fruit and even slighter grassiness. Slightly oily texture. Good balance. On the palate, the minerality dominates.

Always a pleasure to drink Yquem.  From a 375ml bottle.  This is young, of course, but delicious.  It is a blend of 55% Semillon and 45% Sauvignon Blanc.  Light golden in color with some orange hues, clear and bright.  The nose has apricots, honey and slight caramel notes.  Full bodied.  Viscous.  Excellent acidity.  On the palate, this is sweet, not cloying.  Apricots with honey.  Incredibly long finish.  This will get better with further cellaring, but is delicious now.  Drink over the next thirty years.  great on its own, this would also work with simple pound cake. 

Light golden in color with a bit of a copper hue, clear and bright.  The nose is big with limes, peach and slight tropical fruit.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, the tropical fruit becomes more vivid along with limes.  Slight minerality.  Crisp.  Long finish.  This is drinking well on its own but would work well with lighter foods.  A nice choice with a Cobb Salad.  Drink over the next five years.  

From Washington state, this comes in at 13.2%abv.  Green/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with lemon/lime, minerality and a touch of grassiness.  Medium bodied with a nice, slightly oily texture.  Good acidity.  On the palate, limes with a slight gooseberry note and underlying minerality.  Long finish.  Overall, a very nice Sauvignon Blanc for a very fair price.  This is lovely on its own and will work nicely with lighter foods.  A great choice with a fruit salad for lunch.  

Located on Mount Veeder, Brandlin is the sister winery of Cuvaison. In the very capable hands of winemaker Steve Rogstad, his 2021 offers classic notes of light kiwi, lemon-lime zest, gooseberry, light resin, tart green apple and a whisper of butterscotch. This expresses what people want in Sauvignon Blanc – something light, crisp, and fresh. But Brandlin adds a bit of texture to the wine due to fermenting in large French oak barrels, then aging 11 months in oak (just half the barrels were new) to add a noticeable viscosity.

This is a relatively inexpensive and very good Sauvignon Blanc from Austria.  Green/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with peach and slight wild herbal notes.  Light to medium bodied.  Nice, mildly viscous texture.  On the palate, this has lively acidity and good balance.  The peach comes thru.  Moderate finish.  This drinks well on its own and works well with food.  This was a nice complement to spicy Indian foods.  Drink over the next three to five years.  Screw capped.  

This is a Sauvignon Blanc from the northeast corner of Italy.  It is a very distinctive wine.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has a lot of white grapefruit with some grassiness.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is very much like one of those small cans of grapefruit juice served on airplanes.  Tart.  Long finish.  It is enjoyable on its own but will be better with food.  It worked well with a goat cheese salad.  Drink now.  

Made from purchased grapes from an undisclosed location.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is slightly grassy with a touch of lime.  Light bodied.  Slightly oily texture.  On the palate, more about minerality.  Clean.  Moderate finish.  This drinks nicely on its own but better with food.  It went well with a Melon Caprese Salad.  Drink now.  

Hay/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has lots of gun powder/sulfur with some pineapple and baking spice.  Medium bodied.  Nice texture.  On the palate, peach and lemon cream with nice acidity.  Nice finish.  This is a bigger, rounder Sauvignon Blanc which has a lot of oak showing at this young stage.  It drinks well on its own and will work with some foods.  Pasta Primavera might be one.  The fruit will likely fade before the oak integrates, so drink up in the next few years.  

Chidaine is one of our favorite producers of win es in the Loire Valley.  Compared to most Sancerre's or Pouilly Fume's, this is a tremendous value if you like Lorie Sauvignon Blanc (the ancestral home of the grape).  Not sure, well for the price, it sure seems worth checking out.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has minerality, hay, peach and slight grapefruit.  Light bodied.  Good balance.  On the palate, minerality with grapefruit.