Sauvignon Blanc

DOA.  Maybe not cellared well but the best of these is unlikely to be good at age 51.

Golden in color, some orange hues, clear and bright.  The nose is lovely with apricot, peach, slight honey  and a slight bitter note.  Viscous.  Full bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, slightly sweet, not cloying.  Honey and apricot.  Long finish.  A good year if not great.  Nice value.  Drink over the next five to ten years.  It works well with a shortbread (not too sweet) cookie.  

First time trying this winery.  Tasted over two days, it was significantly more open (and better) on day 2.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  Lemons, floral notes, citrus and herbs.  Medium bodied.  Some minerality.  Moderate acidity.  On the palate, lemons with slight orange and a slight minerals note.  Good finish.  As Sauvignon Blancs go, this is heavy and present.  Not a light, easy going aperitif.  Good on its own, this would be better with some food.  It would be nice with Tuna Steak with a Chimichurri Sauce.  Drink over the next five to seven years.  

Arguably the best winery in the world.  This was not their best vintage (IMO 2001), but it is amazing.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is gorgeous with pineapple, mango, beeswax, floral tones and vanilla.  Medium to full bodied.  Viscous.  Great balance.  On the palate,  Pineapple, mango, slight lemon rind, a touch of salinity and peach.  Long, long finish in which the peach notes just keep expanding.  Slightly sweet but nowhere near cloying.  Delicious.  Great on its own, but went well with less sweet pastries.  Drink over the next fifty years.  

This is a producer who mostly make Bourbon Barrel Aged wines, but this one is made in Stainless Steel tanks.  Light silvery/green/gold in color.  Clear and Bright.  The nose has slight pineapple along with a touch of grassiness.  Light bodied, slightly oily texture.  On the palate, the pineapple is a bit more pronounced.  This is refreshing and easy drinking.  Drink over the  next year.  Nice on its own, this will work with lighter foods.  It would be a nice wine with an Avocado Salad.  

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.