Savvy Summer Sippers Prefer Sauvignon

In the case of sauvignon blanc, today's topic, it's all about freshness, flavour and, dare I say, style. I would love to add the word complexity to the mix just to shake up the misguided wine crusaders determined to demystify and simplify the subject of wine. In my experience, no wine is complete without a bit of mystery and complexity in its taste.

In the case of modern sauvignon blanc, much is being done to increased complexity and flavour. Recently I toured a new coastal vineyard in Leyda, Chile that is planted to mixed sauvignon blanc clones; everyone there thinks it will further intensify the wine's flavour.

In Argentina, I visited a winery that is literally breaking off new shoots from its sauvignon vines, two or three times during the spring, to delay the flowering. They hope by pushing the fruiting period back into a cooler part of the growing season they can improve the wines aromatics and flavour.

In California, some wineries return to the vineyard three and four times to pick their grapes, in some cases weeks apart, to achieve a more interesting mix of ripe, underripe and overripe flavours.

Then there is the use of oak.

Many examples are un-wooded; others are 100-per-cent barrel-fermented, while most new versions combine a small percentage of barrel-fermented juice (to add texture, mouth feel and weight) with a majority, stainless steel fermented juice (freshness).

Stirring the lees, in barrel or new stainless-steel barrels, or tanks, or simply aging the wine on the lees, all play a role in the flavour and complexity of the modern sauvignon blanc. In this case, the kind of wine that begs you to drink another glass. Your palate seldom tires of the flavour.

Still others, frightened by aromatics and freshness, would argue varietal sauvignon blanc is not capable of complexity. They are wrong, of course, and just a whiff of its minerality and lip-smacking acidity, combined with citrus, guava and gooseberry should prove the point.

Today we look a six impressive examples that are either 100-per-cent sauvignon blanc or that boast a small percentage of other white grapes, usually sémillon, in the mix.

We begin in France with the Jeannot Pere et Fils Pouilly Fume Les Riaux 2005 packed with grapefruit, chalky, floral, oyster shell notes and light melon-rind aromas. On the palate, it's dry, elegant and crisp with a touch of oiliness. The flavours mix grapefruit, floral, chalky, green-apple flavours with a hint of grassy, bell pepper on the finish. It has fine elegance and fruit intensity with a touch of dried herbs. The classic oyster-shellfish wine.

From France to Chile's Casablanca Valley, the Errazuriz Sauvignon Blanc 2005 is simply delicious. Look for balanced citrus notes on the nose and on the palate. The entry is fresh with lemon and melon fruit and just a hint of lime rind and bell pepper to keep it mouth watering, but not bitter. Very agreeable style that just screams for a plate of seafood or grilled citrus chicken. Impressive for the price that is nearly $2 less than last year.

The Santa Rita Sauvignon Blanc Reserva 2006 is bottled under both cork and screw cap. We tasted both and give the nod to the screw cap version for its, ever so slightly, more intense demeanour. The style is crisp and tight with plenty of grassy, gooseberry fruit. Intense fruit flavours coat your palate mixing bell pepper, gooseberry, dried herbs and lemony grapefruit. There's no malolactic fermentation and two months' lees contact makes for a creamy, passion-fruit finish. Bring on the shellfish, again.

Bright passion fruit, smoky, canned jalapeno with bits of grass mark the nose of the Nobilo Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc Regional Collection 2006. On the palate, it is soft, round and dry with grapefruit rind, passion fruit, butter and grass flavours. The finish is crisp and round with a touch of green melon and bell pepper. A solid food-style sauvignon.

The Kunde Sauvignon Blanc 2005 out of Sonoma Valley is a pleasant surprise. Love the bright tropical fruit nose and the extra palate weight from four per cent sémillon and 20-per-cent wood aging. Picking over a couple weeks provides a spectrum of limey, melon flavours that make it all work. It has New World fruit, but it remains food friendly. It's the best of both worlds and the first vintage under screw cap.

 Another American version is the full-blown Cakebread Cellars Sauvignon Blanc 2005, where clearly the model is Bordeaux. Light vanilla, toasted lees, butter, grapefruit, passion fruit, and grassy, lemon oil penetrate its rich, full-bodied style. Spicy, grapefruit rind, butter, vanilla, creamy, orange, and grassy, passion-fruit flavours flood the taste buds. The finish is a touch warm (alcoholic), but with an attractive kiwi and cream flavour. Well done.

Price: $28.95 (private wine shops only)

UPC: 015643235344

Score: 88/100

Remarks: Juicy grapefruit, floral, chalky, green-apple flavours.

ERRAZURIZ SAUVIGNON BLANC CASABLANCA 2005, VALLE DE CASABLANCA, ACONCAGUA, CHILE

Price: $12.99

UPC: 00089046777329

Score: 88/100

Remarks: Agreeable style suited to seafood or grilled citrus chicken. Impressive value.

SANTA RITA SAUVIGNON BLANC RESERVA 2006, VALLE DE CASABLANCA, ACONCAGUA, CHILE

Price: $14.99

UPC: 089419007138

Score: 88/100 (screw cap); 87/100 (natural cork)

Remarks: Intense fruit flavours of bell pepper, gooseberry, dried herbs and lemony grapefruit.

NOBILO SAUVIGNON BLANC REGIONAL COLLECTION 2006, MARLBOROUGH, NEW ZEALAND

Price: $19.99

UPC: 9414498315101

Score: 88/100

Remarks: Passion fruit, smoky, canned jalapeno nose with fresh grass aromas.

KUNDE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2005, SONOMA VALLEY, SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES

Price: $23.40

UPC: 726299151406

Score: 88/100

Remarks: Limey melon flavours; first vintage under screwcap.

CAKEBREAD CELLARS SAUVIGNON BLANC 2005, NAPA VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES

Price: $45.95

UPC: 84692479047

Score: 89/100

Remarks: Spicy, grapefruit rind, butter, vanilla, creamy, orange, and passion-fruit flavours.