Sauvignon Blanc

If you mention New Zealand wine in conversation, most people will assume you mean sauvignon blanc, and with good reason. New Zealand sauvignon blancs are considered to be the world's best by many wine experts. And, if you are looking for the best of New Zealand's sauvignon blancs, you will inevitably end up in Marlborough.

IntoWine.com asked a panel of wine experts for their recommendation for the best New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc: New Zealand took the wine world by storm with its intensely flavored Sauvignon Blancs starting in the 1980s. Sauv Blanc is still the most widely planted grape in Kiwi Country, by a long shot, and there are numerous great examples. My favorite NZ Sauv Blanc from recent vintages is the 2012 Loveblock, the first vintage from Kim and Erica Crawford’s new label. They were the team behind the hugely successful Kim Crawford label, which they sold to Vincor International in 2003 for $8.6 million. The Loveblock is a complex, structured Sauvignon Blanc, with notes of ripe lime, smoke and sweet green chili. You can find it for an average of $18 at U.S. retailers. Another favorite producer is the justly famous Cloudy Bay, which makes both a delicious, balanced, unoaked version, as well as a Sauv Blanc that is reminiscent of a white Bordeaux from a ripe year—the Te Koko, which spends 18 months in French oak. One more great one is the intensely flavored Saint Clair Family Estate Selection. Richard Jennings, IntoWine.com Featured Contributor and the Founder RJonWine.com.

On the eastern end of the Loire Valley in France sit the two communes of Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé where arguably the best Sauvignon Blanc in the world is produced. For many, this is the true home for this grape. While new world producers in California, New Zealand and elsewhere are creating excellent fruit laden Sauvignon Blanc’s, the producers in the Loire Valley excel in complex mineral driven versions of Sauvignon Blanc. Among all of the regions of the Loire utilizing this grape, the reputations of Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé are the best.

With the economy in the gutter wine enthusiasts are on the lookout for exceptional wines for a good price with which they can sip away the summer. IntoWine.com asked our panel of wine experts to recommend the best sauvignon blanc "value" wines: Sauvignon Blanc is widely planted around the world, and there are many great examples. Not surprisingly, the best values in terms of quality and price—terrific wines for under $20--can be found in the several regions that specialize in Sauvignon Blanc: New Zealand, Chile’s Limari Valley and California’s Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County. I am also including some great values from another up and coming region for Sauv Blanc—California’s Santa Barbara County. Unfortunately, I can’t find anything that I’ve rated 91 points or higher that is under $20 from the other great region known for Sauvignon Blanc, France’s Loire Valley. The absolute stars of this category, for both value and quality, averaging $12 each from U.S. retailers, are three Sauvignon Blancs hailing from New Zealand—the country where Sauv Blanc is the most heavily planted grape, by far—and one from Chile. The NZ choices are Makara Wines and Villa Maria Private Bin, both from Marlborough, and Wither Hills of Wairau Valley. The Chilean value is Tabali’s Reserva Especial. For a little more money, but still under $20, check out these great buys, taking in California high performers, as well as more from New Zealand. At an average of $14, Stoneleigh from NZ’s Marlborough and Woolaston from NZ’s Nelson region. For $15, look for Dry Creek Vineyard’s stainless steel fermented Sauv Blanc, The Girls in the Vineyard from Lake County, and Mt Beautiful from NZ’s Canterbury region. At $17, I recommend Saint Clair Family Estate from Marlborough, one of my highest rated Sauv Blancs last year; Mauritson Wines Dry Creek Valley; Rusack and Lincourt, both from Santa Barbara’s Santa Ynez Valley; and Man O’ War from NZ’s Waiheke Island. At the upper end of my value recommendations at $18, but still incredible deals for the quality, are Huia and Loveblock from Marlborough, and Star Lane from Santa Barbara’s Happy Canyon region. Richard Jennings, IntoWine.com Featured Contributor and the Founder RJonWine.com.

Sancerre? Yawn. Chardonnay? Ho-hum. Albarino? So 2007. Looking for a new summer white to pair with fish, grilled veggies, and salads? Something fresh, different? Something crisp enough to sip in the sun, solid enough to drink with dinner, and complex enough to enjoy on its own? Look no farther than Bordeaux.