Sauvignon Blanc

One of my favorite dessert wines.  At age 12, this is drinking beautifully from a 375ml bottle.  Light to medium golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is gorgeous with oranges, blood oranges, honey and spice.  Full bodied.  Viscous texture.  Excellent balance and acidity.  On the palate, oranges, orange peel and honey, layered and complex.  The finish is quite long.  Delicious.  As good as this is, it may still get better with age.  This is contemplative on it own but will work for less sweet (not chocolate) dessert.  A polenta cake would work nicely.  

This is the Robert Mondavi Winery's version of a Sauvignon Blanc.  It is actually 87% Sauvignon Blanc and 13% Semillon.  It is also a great value in California Sauvignon Blanc.  Light golden with some green hues in color, clear and bright.  The nose shows a slightly grassy note with plenty of tropical fruits.  Also a bit of citrus.  It has a very creamy texture which is nice and enough acidity to come off as crisp.  On the palate, mostly guava and papaya fruits.  Ripe and delicious.  Drink this over the next few years.  This drinks great on its own and will work well with lighter foods.  A

One of the first 2020's I have tried and this is a beauty.

From Oregon producer Sineann, they also make a line of wines in New Zealand.  This is a delightful and classic style of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has peaches but also a hint of tropical fruits.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, the fruits come thru to match the nose.  More tropical fruit on the finish.  Slightly viscous texture.  Dry.  This is drinking well but probably should be consumed in the next few years.  It drinks great on its own and will work well with lighter foods.  

Sineann is more well known for the Oregon and Washington wines, but they also make this gem in New Zealand.  Owner-winemaker Peter Rosback just can't sit still.  Screw capped.  Silvery/gold in color with a slight copper hue.  The nose is tight upon opening but with a bit of air open to show a nice minerality followed by gooseberries.  With more air a yellow lemonade note become prominent.  This has a lovely oily texture.  On the palate, the lemonade note is there right away followed by gooseberries and an interesting menthol tobacco note.  This has nice acidity.  A long finish that does sho

Südsteiermark is a region in southeastern Austria that produces excellent, fruity Sauvignon Blancs which is exactly what this wine is.  This is one of this producers entry level bottlings.  Yellow/gold/green in color.  The nose is pretty with pears, slight gooseberries, limes and minerals.  On the palate, the limes and gooseberries stand out although there is some underlying minerality.  Fresh with lots of energy.  Long finish.  This should be consumed in the next year or two.  It drinks well on its own and will work well with lighter fowl or seafood dishes.  

From a tremendous vintage, but this Sauternes is great in just about any vintage and one of the more reasonably priced ones at that.  This was purchased on release and well stored.  Medium golden/orange in color.  The nose is great with honey, slight pineapple, slight saline and canned peaches.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, this is sweet not cloying.  It has dropped some of its sweetness in the 19 years since release.  Lots of depth and complexity.  Layers of peaches, minerals and honey.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This is great on its own and will work with a not too sweet frui

Another winner from this stalwart Napa producer.  White gold/silvery in color.  The nose has seltzer, minerality, pears and white floral notes.  Pretty.  Medium bodied.  On the palate there is a sort of copper minerality that is very interesting along with the more usual notes of lemon peel, and melon.  Good acidity.  Fresh.  Long finish.  This is delicious and refreshing on its own but would work great with chicken salad or other lighter fare/salads.  Best to drink in the next few years to enjoy the vibrancy.  

This was tasted from a 1.5 liter box.  While boxed wines tend not to be the most expensive wines, the box is actually a wonderful method for enjoying wines.  It keeps the oxygen out and the wines in excellent condition.  Silvery green/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has peaches, limes and minerals.  On the palate, this is crisp and clean.  Limes and melon with a slight minty note and underlying minerals.  Sort finish.  This is drinking well on opening.  In the box format, one could leave this in the fridge and have a glass or two a day for a couple three weeks with no degradation