Originally published on Facebook, July 1, 2012 at 10:04pm
I
started drinking "serious" wine in the late 1970s. I quickly adopted
wines made from the Sauvignon blanc grape as my favorite white table
wines. Most Sauvignons from California were pretty insipid, but Robert
Mondavi bottled his under the label "Fumè Blanc." I liked it. It reminded
me of a good Pouilly Fumè...especially in his somewhat pricey "Reserve"
edition. Best of all, though, were the really austere white wines of
Bordeaux, often described as being "steely" of "flinty."
Like the rest of the wine-nut world, I was thrilled to discover the truly wonderful potential of this grape when examples from New Zealand first hit the wine stores around me about a decade ago. The Sauvignon from the Marlborough District was unlike anything before it: a combination of hard unripe "green" flavors and lushly rich tropical fruits. Like most good Sauvignons, they are very dry in the finish, but wonderfully complex and refreshing in the mouth. Tart, fruity, hard, lush...unusual at least, off-putting to many, but downright thrilling at their best. Following the lead of the Kiwis, other Antipodal winegrowers started making Sauvignon in this newer style: especially those in South Africa and Chile.
Tonight the temperature is hovering in the high 80s as we approach 10 pm. Humidity is not far behind, and the dew point is about the same as my skin temperature, judging from the dripping of my brow-sweat. I have chosen to chill out a with some Sauvignon that I made from a homemade kit wine, a Chilean Sauvignon blanc from Winexpert.
I'll spare you the tasting notes, except to say it is quite good, quite refreshing, and heads and shoulders above the affordable French and Californian examples I used to love. Not quite as good as Winexpert's New Zealand Sauvignon, which I have also made and will make again. And this wine costs me approximately 4 dollars a bottle. So why isn't everyone making some?
Okay, so not everyone wants to be a winemaker. So go out and find yourself a nice 8-12 dollar bottle of Chilean or NZ Sauvignon. If you don't like it, well, there is no accounting for taste. It is sure cooling down the inferno for me. Stay cool!
Like the rest of the wine-nut world, I was thrilled to discover the truly wonderful potential of this grape when examples from New Zealand first hit the wine stores around me about a decade ago. The Sauvignon from the Marlborough District was unlike anything before it: a combination of hard unripe "green" flavors and lushly rich tropical fruits. Like most good Sauvignons, they are very dry in the finish, but wonderfully complex and refreshing in the mouth. Tart, fruity, hard, lush...unusual at least, off-putting to many, but downright thrilling at their best. Following the lead of the Kiwis, other Antipodal winegrowers started making Sauvignon in this newer style: especially those in South Africa and Chile.
Tonight the temperature is hovering in the high 80s as we approach 10 pm. Humidity is not far behind, and the dew point is about the same as my skin temperature, judging from the dripping of my brow-sweat. I have chosen to chill out a with some Sauvignon that I made from a homemade kit wine, a Chilean Sauvignon blanc from Winexpert.
I'll spare you the tasting notes, except to say it is quite good, quite refreshing, and heads and shoulders above the affordable French and Californian examples I used to love. Not quite as good as Winexpert's New Zealand Sauvignon, which I have also made and will make again. And this wine costs me approximately 4 dollars a bottle. So why isn't everyone making some?
Okay, so not everyone wants to be a winemaker. So go out and find yourself a nice 8-12 dollar bottle of Chilean or NZ Sauvignon. If you don't like it, well, there is no accounting for taste. It is sure cooling down the inferno for me. Stay cool!
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