La Croix St. Vincent 2015 Sauvignon (Blanc)

75% Sauvignon Blanc, 25% Sémillon; 12% ABV
Bordeaux, France
imported by Max Beverage, South Pasadena, CA
$5 at the Richmond, CA, store on 22 May

I don’t remember seeing a white Bordeaux at the GO for some time, and the reds on this label, and from this importer in general, have been good, so I was excited to try this wine.  I found it tasty and so easily drinkable.

The nose is lovely, of yellow and green melon and gooseberries, with aromatic floral / musqué character.  On the palate, the body is light, giving the flavors – those in the nose plus some yellow grapefruit and green lime, minerality, slightly astringent bitterness on the finish – a nice delicateness.  For me, this went down way too easily, and we had no trouble finishing the whole bottle.  Highly Drinkable.

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Bodkin 2013 Sauvignon Blanc Reserve “The Albino”

Sandy Bend Vineyard, Lake County, CA; 13.5% ABV
“Fermented upon the skins.  Bottled without fining or filtration”
“Christopher Reid Christensen, Winesmith”
Produced and bottled by Wefew Vintners, Healdsburg, CA
$7 (or maybe $6) at the Oakland, CA, store about a month ago.  Almost certainly no longer there.

This label struck me as unusual and interesting and, indeed, the wine is one of the most unusual and interesting Sauvignon Blancs I have ever tasted.

The aromatic profile resembles that of a Riesling: perfume-like white / yellow flowers and light yellow fruit.  On the palate, I tasted lightly lemony yellow peach, yellow melon, cherimoya / light gardenia, green lime, some balancing minerally grape skin bitterness, and a hint of fresh herbs on the finish.  The wine had a pleasantly viscous mouthfeel.  Good on its own, it was spectacular with food.

The next day, the wine was a little softer and more forward, but overall it was very similar.

Chateau Simon Carretey 2008 Sauternes

Sauternes AOC, Bordeaux, France; 13.5% ABV
imported by Halby Marketing, Inc., Sonoma, CA
$7 for 375ml at the Richmond, CA, store on 27 Feb

On the nose and then on the palate, the wine shows full-flavored but delicately delineated honeysuckle, yellow pear / apple, pineapple, ripe Asian pear, very slight (if any?) botrytis, and ripe apricot.  This is not the most amazing Sauternes, but it is an outstanding bargain.  Like most such sweet wines, this could probably develop well for at least another ten years in good storage.

The next day, the flavors were much the same, with the flavors more delicate and “liquidy.”

Rustenberg 2014 Sauvignon Blanc blend

58% Sauvignon Blanc, 33% Chardonnay, 9% Viognier; 13% ABV
Wine of Origin Western Cape, South Africa
$4 at the Richmond, Ca, store.  Gone now.

Sorry to take a while getting to this; it was one of a couple white wines sitting in my fridge while I got over my cold.  Anyway, I think this is a nice wine for the money if any of it is still around.

I was intrigued by the blend, because I have noticed yellow tropical fruit flavors in SA SB that I haven’t in SB from anywhere else, and I thought the blend with Chardonnay and especially Viognier could be very nice.  The wine was indeed quite well made.  The nose showed yellow melon / apple, less ripe green melon, and some light yellow peach / apricot.  The palate is clean, gently crisp, and slightly minerally, with the ripe fruit flavors on the nose plus slight tropical fruit (mostly golden kiwi), balanced by some bitterness of citrus pith and grape skin.  The blend is seamless, although to me the wine is a bit intellectual rather than yummy.

The next day, however, the wine is definitely also yummy, with the sweetly ripe fruit coming forward over the bitterness, still elegantly blended and reasonably structured.

2014 Sunce “Franicevic” Sauvignon Blanc

Shanti Vineyard, Russian River Valley AVA; 13.7% ABV
$5.99 at the Palo Alto store on December 8th

This producer’s “Talty Vineyard” Zinfandel was one of my “go-to” purchases at the local mega-box store a few years back, so I decided to give this one a try. The fact that this wine was neutral-barrel fermented was intriguing as well as the fact that, per the informative back label, it was made in a “white Bordeaux style.” It is, indeed, pretty good.

The wine pours a pale gold bordering on platinum color, and on the nose I got some surprising tropical and peach notes with a bit of white flowers. On the palate the wine is pretty classic Sauvignon Blanc: pink grapefruit, citrus, some peppery notes. It definitely has that “grassy” note so many Sauv Blanc’s do, but in a pleasant way that adds some complexity to the overall flavor profile and isn’t too overpowering. There is a bit more heft on the palate (perhaps due to the barrel fermentation?) that I liked. A nice, clean 5-10 second finish.

On subsequent days this wine became a bit more disjointed with that “cat pee” note that I dislike in this varietal becoming increasingly prevalent in the nose, and the grassy notes on the palate became more pronounced. If you buy a bottle, best to finish it within 24 hours. Not spectacular, but a solid choice if you’re looking for a lighter white to have on hand for the holidays.

Castillo del Moro 2015 Airén – Sauvignon Blanc

75% Airén, 25% Sauvignon Blanc; 11.5% ABV
Vino de la Tierra de Castilla, Spain
$4 at the Richmond, CA, store on 10 Oct

At first, I mentally categorized this as another nondescript Spanish white, but then I noticed it had been selling pretty well, and finally got a bottle.  It is indeed quite tasty for the price.

I had not heard of Airén before, but according to that Wiki page, it represents about 30% of all grapes grown in Spain, but is increasingly being uprooted because it “often produces an acidic and characterless wine.”  However, when I first tasted it, I exclaimed, “That’s delicious!”.  It tasted juicy and crisp, green- and white-fruited, and nicely structured (minerally). With some air, the wine showed a little more softness of fruit, with flavors of lighter yellow and green fruit of grape, apple / melon, Asian pear, balancing bitterness of yellow / green grape skin, and lighter minerality.  While not as amazing as it seemed at first pour, it is pretty tasty for the price.

The next day, the rest of the wine in the bottle was softer, less minerally, and more fruity, but still quite tasty and pleasant.  While not an outstanding wine, it’s pretty good for the price.  (A little survived to the third day, and was still quite enjoyable.)

Circadia 2014 Sauvignon Blanc

California; 12.5% ABV
$5 or $6 at the Richmond, CA, store on 23 Sept

This wine looked pretty exciting to me: neat graphics on the label, cool name, pretty color of the wine (pale greenish yellow).  It’s flavors of green and yellow melon and yellow pear were pretty good, classic SB flavors, but they were very light.  What was there was good, but there just wasn’t much of it.  The fruit was a little more forward and acid the next day, but not enough to save it.

Gauther 2013 Sauvignon Blanc

Block House Vineyard, Yountville, Napa Valley, CA
$5 at the Richmond, CA, store

After the Gauthier Sonoma Valley Zinfandel attracted so much attention, I thought I’d try this Sauvignon Blanc, which also looked quite good.  Probably because my expectations were high, I wasn’t wowed by it, but it is quite good for the price.

I thought the wine had nice fruit of yellow lemon and melon, good acid and a very nice minerally structure.  I’d wish it to be more complex, but it’s a tasty and well-made wine for the price.

 

Errazuriz 2013 Sauvignon Blanc “Max Reserva”

D.O. Aconagua Costa, Chile; 13% ABV
$5 at the Richmond, CA, store on 29 June

I thought this was a very well-made wine, with flavors mainly of lemon, yellow melon, and less ripe gooseberry / green bell pepper, in a tight and elegant minerally structure.  However, the acid was a bit too sharp for me.  Even after the second half of the bottle had been sitting in the fridge for a few days, the wine was very similar: still nicely structured but a bit too tart for my taste.  Those who like wine especially crisp may consider this Thumbs Up.

RoxyAnn Winery 2014 Sauvignon Blanc

Rogue Valley, (southern) OR; 14.1%
$6 at the Richmond, CA, store on 20 June

The label and color of this wine looked very nice, and I was intrigued by its southern Oregon appellation.  It’s pretty tasty, but like another Rogue Valley Sauvignon Blanc we’ve seen, the main thing about it is the acid.

The wine has a very pleasant nose, and shows smooth, elegant, lower-intensity flavors of lemon / yellow grapefruit, light lime, less ripe pear / nectarine, with crisp acid, a slight minerality and grapeskin bitterness.  Moderating the acid somewhat is a slight viscosity to the texture.  I didn’t find it extremely exciting, but it’s a tasty and well made wine, especially in the warm weather we’ve been having.

I liked this wine a little better the next day, when the fruit came forward and integrated with the acid, making the acid more juicy.