WTN: In which I actually like a Sauvignon Blanc

[Rich_Brown]

@D@vid Bu3ker

Ah Chenin…another grape where I just don’t get why people keep trying it in the USA.

Sandlands buddy. You need to try a chenin from Teagan if you haven’t already.

[David_Bu3ker]

I have had several. Don’t like any of them to the extent that I would buy any more.

I do like his reds though.

[Rich_Brown]

@D@vid Bu3ker

I have had several. Don’t like any of them to the extent that I would buy any more.

I do like his reds though.

Welp. I think you’re right then. Domestic chenin just might not be your bag

And yep…reds are awesome too! So good…and a crazy value

[Larry_Stein]

@D@vid Bu3ker

I have had a few Cotat wines. Don’t care for them.

I hear ya when it comes to SB. Can’t stand the variety. If it has a good dose of Semillon blended in (dry or sweet), it can work for me.

I went to a lunch a couple of years ago. One of the attendees brought an 8 bottle vertical of Cotat “La Grande Cote” spanning the 80s - 00s. The 2 from the 80s ('86 and '88, IIRC) were lovely. It was eye-opening. They had lost that SB-ness that I dislike. The ones from the 90s (don’t recall vintages) were starting to lose those characteristics. However, I’m not about to buy and cellar that wine at this stage in my life.

[Peter_Kleban]

@D@vid Bu3ker

Ah Chenin…another grape where I just don’t get why people keep trying it in the USA.

Have you tried the Dirty & Rowdy?

[David_Bu3ker]

Yep. Not impressed.

[mdavis]

There is Vatan, and then there is the rest of the producers making Sauvignon Blanc.

-mark

[Markus_S]

@D@vid Bu3ker

Ah Chenin…another grape where I just don’t get why people keep trying it in the USA.

Although I heartily disagree with you on sav blanc, I second you on California chenin. When you have the Loire and South Africa…W-h-y??

[jon_leifer]

A lot closer to David and Markus, than California, there is a lovely Chenin Blanc… crafted by Paumonok. on LI’s North fork…They also make a Sauv Blanc that I enjoy but might not float David’s boat.

[Gus_Johnson]

I would recommend Peter Dipoli’s SB (http://peterdipoli.com/en/wine/voglar/). I’ve tried it a few times and the herbaceous/alpine qualities make for a good counterpoint to domestic bottlings.

[Joe_Mendez]

Try the Arkenstone SB its very good.

[Russell_Faulkner]

My advice is not to try any more SB.

[David_Bu3ker]

@Russell Faulkner

My advice is not to try any more SB.

[Drew_Goin]

Exactly.

[Drew_Goin]

@D@vid Bu3ker

2017 Division Winemaking Company Sauvignon Blanc La Frontiere (Willamette Valley, Oregon)
Everyone knows I don’t like Sauvignon Blanc. The only time I “buy” it is when it is part of some club shipment. A bottle came in a recent club package from Division, and I “resigned” myself to opening it and trying the wine. Well, for the first time in a long time I was pleasantly surprised. I really liked the wine. It showed none of the herbaceous/green elements that I detest. There was no grass, cilantro or green pepper. Instead there was ripe melon, quince, tropical fruit and fresh acidity that balanced out a surprisingly rich mouthfeel. I was wondering if there was a hint of Semillon or Chenin Blanc in the wine. Perhaps it was the use of a puncheon and some “neutral” (per the winery notes) barrels, in addition to some stainless steel that created the richer body of the wine. Ultimately it was delicious, and the first bottle of SB I actually finished off since a Vatan several years ago. Highly recommended.

This post has been spinning around in the back of my mind ever since I first read it. I admit, part of my struggle with the OP’s comments is that there are so many Sauv Blancs that exemplify the traits he dislikes.

For me, it’s all about balance: not too much green, and I also welcome a little bit of fruit in my SB’s. Unlike the OP, I welcome a hint of steely lime/citrus leanness that often is a sign of farming along the margins where the grapes struggle to attain ripeness - “cool-climate” Sauvignon Blanc, if you will.

Sure, I enjoy “ripe melon, quince, tropical fruit and fresh acidity that balanced out a surprisingly rich mouthfeel”, as David said. I also enjoy Sancerre, Loire Valley Sauv Blancs, some South African bottlings, and a small number of Californian bottling.

However, my WOW moment with a Sauvignon Blanc was the inaugural vintage (2005) of the Concha y Toro “Terrunyo” Sauvignon Blanc, sourced from Chile’s Casablanca Valley, near the country’s western coastline.


Now, the latest issue of Wine & Spirits magazine (Fall, 2018) is dedicated to “Breakthrough Wines”: wines that conquer a person’s categorical disdain for a particular variety. I was excited to see that Deanna Gonnella had written her own story of overcoming a dislike of Sauvignon Blanc. I scrolled down the pages of my PDF issue to see if there were any parallels to Mr Bueker’s tale. NOPE!

Sorry Charlie!

[Joe_Mendez]

@Wes Barton

Russell Bevan’s SBs I had years ago were from the Musque clone, which certainly does have more tropical character.

I suspect with regular SB, most of the time working to tone down or eliminate the pyrazine character would simply make for a less interesting wine. With the musque clone or a great site one can make an excellent wine without lawn clippings.

An old favorite I reconnected with recently is Kathryn Kennedy. I brought one as a blind “pre” wine (to a '80-'11 Ch. Guiraud tasting) two nights ago. I’d say this is a good daily drinker type wine. Anyway, the guy there who detests SB liked it well enough and didn’t call it. It went over well. (We also had an '81 Pavillon Blanc du Chateau Margaux, which was quite good, not grassy.)

Some of the tiny Napa Cab producers make excellent SBs. I often prefer them to their Cabs. Of course they’re pricey.

+1

Also Arkenstone and Realm make excellent SB’s. Bevan is also a great SB which is more tropical.

[jon_leifer]

I prefer “tropical” SB’s to grassy or cat’s pee SB’s

[mark_rudner]

“Everyone knows I don’t like Sauvignon Blanc”

not everyone knew, but now i do
the division sounds like a wine i would like a lot thanks for the note

[Jay_Miller]

@D@vid Bu3ker

@Russell Faulkner

My advice is not to try any more SB.

The problem of course being that once someone announces they dislike a particular wine their friends will go out of their way to blind them on various favorites. Though for some reason that never works when people try saying they dislike DRC.

[Chris_G_l_a_r_n_e_r]

The first Sauvignon Blanc I tried after taking an interest in wine was the Merry Edwards. I really liked it, and so I thought that I liked SB. I was wrong. I haven’t had one I liked as much in the following few years and finally gave up trying. The advice to “stop trying it” would have saved me some time and $. Maybe I’ll try to find the Division as it sounds like a similar style to the Merry Edwards.

I haven’t tried nearly as many Californian chenin blancs but one I do like is Chappellett.