Sassy Sauvignon Blanc Part I

Goldstein has always been a practical wine person, moving easily between consumers and trade to teach the basics and beyond of wine service and food and wine pairing. He worked closely with his mother when she was running the popular and innovative Square One restaurant in San Francisco, elevating the wine list to another level in usability.

All too often, we hear that when it comes to food and wine, there are no longer any rules -- that one can drink any wine with any food. My response is, fine, as long as it's your wine and not mine. There may not be any rules but a, little common sense, and a little bit of knowledge goes a long way toward shaping a match that makes the food and the wine better.

In Perfect Pairings, Goldstein focuses on 12 key grapes and shares his thoughts about how they are made, what they taste like and, most important, for which foods they have an affinity.

I've been tasting a lot of sauvignon blanc this month so I looked to Goldstein for some pairing suggestions in what will be the first of two columns that offer a close up look at some of the very best sauvignon blanc in our market.

Goldstein is a fan of sauvignon, calling it "one of the best wines to drink with food," and I couldn't agree more. In particular, it's the young unoaked versions, with the tangy vibrant acidity and plenty of underlying mineral flavours that really shine.

Our first pick is Tamaya Sauvignon Blanc 2005 from Chile's Limari Valley, and my advice is wake up and smell the bell pepper, grass, grapefruit, floral, passion fruit aromas. Chile is fast becoming a sauvignon blanc force, thanks to a cool Pacific that buffets Limari, Casablanca, and Leyda and many other regions as yet undiscovered. Look for ripe, yet rich and fresh fruit with gooseberry, mineral, smoky bell pepper, grapefruit and granny smith apple flavours. I would suggest oysters, but Goldstein says it can be sublime with "vegetarian dishes, especially those containing peppers, eggplant, zucchini, asparagus or leeks.

The Mount Riley Sauvignon Blanc 2005 from Marlborough on New Zealand's South Island is typically more intense sporting mineral, musky, grapefruit rind and smoky bell pepper notes. The flavours are ripe gooseberry, grapefruit rind, bell pepper and asparagus flavours with some lemony, grassy aspects on the finish. Full-blown Marlborough that Perfect Pairings suggest you accompany with a tomato and pesto salad.

Sonoma County's Kenwood Winery continues to keep the style fresh with ripe gooseberry, floral, passion fruit and grapefruit rind aromas packed into the Kenwood Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2005. Elegant and dry on the palate, it offers up smoky, passion fruit, green apple skin, grapefruit and spicy floral flavours with a touch of butter. A terrific effort with fine intensity, and balance. Goldstein recommends cheese as in feta, ricotta salata, fontana, jarlsberg and any shape, size or age of goat cheese.

South Africa remains an important place to look for fresh-style sauvignon, so be sure to check out the Fish Hoek Sauvignon Blanc 2005 from the Western Cape. It has an attractive smoky, mineral, gooseberry, grapefruit nose with a fresh, crisp palate. More gooseberry, grapefruit rind, and canned jalapeno mark the finish. Goldstein likes the small plates idea, suggesting Middle Eastern mezze, Spanish tapas and or Italian antipasto

The first time I tasted the new Carmen Sauvignon Blanc 2005 from Curico, Chile. I was impressed at the value it offered for $13.50. Now it's selling for $11.50 -- for a wine picked four times to blend slightly under ripe, to medium, regular and over ripe grapes. The result is a lively grapefruit rind, mineral, green melon and grassy, gooseberry flavoured wine, albeit in a lighter easy-drinking style. Perfect for a light lunch involving pork or veal.

Fabulous value in a 60,000-case brand, and another statement about the direction of Chilean sauvignon is the Errazuriz Escultura Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2005 from Casablanca. Originally a sauvignonasse vineyard, it was all grafted over to the real sauvignon blanc and its all for the better. The '05 is fresh, clean, and peppered with green, sweaty, herbal, and citrus undertones. Fresh, food friendly and well balanced. Delicious. With grilled fish and a squeeze of lemon.

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Tamaya Sauvignon Blanc 2005, Limari Valley, Chile
Price: $13.90
UPC: 07808731000053
Score: 87/100
Remarks: Grapefruit and granny smith apple flavours. Intense and full.

Mount Riley Sauvignon Blanc 2005, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand
Price: $19.99
UPC: 9419663020002
Score: 88/100
Remarks: Crisp, dry, full-blown Marlborough.

Kenwood Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2005, Sonoma County, California, United States
Price: $18.99
UPC: 10986006026
Score: 89/100
Remarks: Excellent smoky, passion fruit and green apple skin.

Fish Hoek Sauvignon Blanc 2005, Western Cape, South Africa
Price: $14.90
UPC: 6009650560906
Score: 87/100
Remarks: Attractive smoky, mineral, gooseberry, canned jalapeno flavours.

Carmen Sauvignon Blanc 2005, Valle del Curico, Region del Valle Central, Chile
Price: $11.50
UPC: 83300097604
Score: 86/100
Remarks: Easy drinking, lighter style for most meals. Good value.

Errazuriz Escultura Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2005, Valle de Casablanca, Region de Aconcagua, Chile
Price: $14.40
UPC: 089046777329
Score: 87/100
Remarks: Fresh, clean, and peppered with green sweaty herbal citrus undertones.