11 Sauvignon Blanc Flashcards
Sauvignon Blanc GI
France: Loire: Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, Touraine Bordeaux: Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
USA: Napa Valley
Chile: Central Valley, Casablanca Valley
South Africa: Elgin, Constantia
Australia: Adelaide Hills, Margaret River
New Zealand: Marlborough
Sauvignon Blanc Climate
Cool
Moderate
When Sauvignon Blanc is made as a single-varietal wine, which type of vessel is it usually fermented in?
Inert vessels, such as stainless steel.
Why isn’t new oak usually used on single-varietal Sauvignon Blanc?
Oak flavors typically overpower the fruity characteristics of Sauvignon Blanc.
When is Sauvignon Blanc normally best consumed?
In its youth when fruit flavors and herbaceous notes are at their freshest.
Sauvignon Blanc can develop unappealing flavors (vegetables note) as it ages.
What grape is typically blended with Sauvignon Blanc?
Semillon
Where are Sancerre AOC and Pouilly-Fumé AOC located in relation to one another?
They face each other across the Loire River.
The climate of Sancree AOC and Pouilly-Fume AOC
Cool
Loire Sauvignon Blanc
4,5,8
4 Dry
5 High
8 Green fruit (Apple)
Herbaceous notes (Grass, asparagus)
Wet stones
Touraine AOC Sauvignon blanc
Fruity and inexpensive
Bordeaux AOC, Graves AOC, Pessac-Leognan AOC
Bordeaux AOC = Simple
Graves AOC, Pessac-Leognan AOC = Complex
These wines are typically blends of which grapes?
Sauvignon blanc & Semillon
What does Semillon add to Sauvignon Blanc?
Adds body and helps the wine to age.
Because Bordeaux typically blends Sauvignon Blanc with Sémillon, what winemaking technique do many winemakers use?
What flavours does it add?
Barrel Aging
Honey and Nuts
Why aren’t there significant plantings of Sauvignon Blanc in the South of France?
The South of France is too warm for Sauvignon Blanc to retain its characteristic freshness.
Where in South of France produces Sauvignon Blanc?
Areas that are cooled by altitude.
South of France Sauvignon Blanc
4,5,8
4 Dry
5 High
8 Tropical fruit (Passion fruit)
Herbaceous notes (Grass)
Fravours of Sauvignon Blancs from Marnorough can ___.
Example of flavours
range
A broad range of fruit flvours (Lemon, Peach, Passion fruit)
Green-bell-pepper (Capsicum)
Asparagus
Why?
Two reasons:
・They are often made by bleeding across different sites
・They are often made by bleeding grapes harvested at different ripeness levels.
Style of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc varies.
Some focus on grapes from ___ vineyard sites to produce wines that are similar to the wines of the Loire.
Others experiment with ___ or ___ to add ___ and ___.
Cooler
small amounts of oak
lees contact
complexity
body
Are Sauvignon Blancs from Marlborough usually bottled as single varietals or are they blended with other grape varietals?
Single varietal
In Australia, is Sauvignon Blanc bottled as a single varietal or blended with other grape varietals?
Both
Typically blended with what grapes?
Semillon
What impact does Semillon/Sémillon have when it’s blended with Sauvignon Blanc?
Semillon makes fuller-bodied wines with grater ageing potential.
