I could not wait to get to work Saturday morning, I was up early, washed and ready for the day almost 30 minutes ahead of schedule…the reason? SAUVIGNON BLANC!! Hells yeah I do love me some tangy Sauvignon Blanc, and yesterday afternoon our entire tasting was focused on my beloved varietal. I must admit that earlier in the week, (when my back was all jacked and I was laid up) I had forgotten that it was this weekend, so I was a touch short on stock of some of my favorites, sadly I only had 4 wines, (that I could pour and still have some bottles left to sell) to put in but no matter, I knew I was going to get brought up to speed with what the “rest of the world” had to offer…I was pumped and even offered my services with putting the wines in proper order….sometimes, I’m a giver.
No one expected a HUGE turnout, when we feature all white wine we tend to see a dip in attendance, there are just always going to be those, “red wine only folks”, and while it was on the warmish side out, it was gray and overcast…not terribly inspiring weather for white wine I guess. For me, it could be snowing out, (admittedly a statement coming right out of the think tank that is my ass, I’ve been in the snow like 4 times) and I would still want to taste a bunch of Sauvignon Blanc. The turnout was low, but not awful and the ones that did show seemed to dig the diversity of the wines, so all in all a very good tasting! I poured for the event, see there I go being a giver again….there I stood, pouring, popping corks, or in some cases, twisting off caps, and having to taste each wine…just to make sure it wasn’t flawed and all, yeah, I was in a happy Sam spot for sure. The good?
2007 Elizabeth Spencer North Coast Sauvignon Blanc, ($14.99) A wine purchased from a trade tasting for it high energy and racy qualities, once tasted in a regular setting we found that it was not as “racy” as we thought….see, that is why trade tastings are so difficult….but the wine has a very pretty softness that fills a very specific niche. Soft, round, subtle melon notes with just a touch of lemon zest, a really pretty wine that really doesn’t even need food.
2008 Francois Chidaine Touraine, ($10.99) I write about this wine all the time…I simply love it and this new vintage is as good as always. The crowd loved it, we sold it by the cases, (rare I assure you) tart, loaded with lime and lime zest with a shock of minerals and a very racy finish.
2007 Vieux Pruniers Sancerre, ($21.99) I found that this wine was the most mineral driven of the bunch, pretty classic Sancerre but with just a touch more weight and texture.
2007 Vincent Pinard Sancerre Cuvee Nuance, ($28.99) This wine was the most expensive of the day and I think it did show its pedigree, full and fleshy on the palate with lots of guava, citrus and a toasty flavor that carried on through the long-for-Sancerre finish.
2008 Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc, ($25.99) I loved this wine for its classic California Sauvignon Blanc style. Fresh without being green, again more melon than citrus, nice weight but still very refreshing. Very tasty but just a hair on the spendy side for what is in the bottle.
2007 Ojai McGinley Ranch Sauvignon Blanc, ($27.99) hands-down the most talked about wine, in both a good way and a not so good way. I was standing up for this wine, (and many did agree) it stood out, it was oaked and full, almost fat on the palate, explosive and sassy with gobs of tropical flavors and a super long saturated finish.
The Not So Good?
2007 O-Tu New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, ($12.99) now I very much enjoy a glass of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc but there is one very important thing for me…it needs to be fresh. This wine is too old and beginning to travel south fast, (gonna try and convince Bennett to red tag it) simply put, it smells like the water after you boil cabbage, hey..I’m Irish and I still find that off putting! Tart, to the point of sour and tastes and smells like boiled veggie…ewe.
2007 Quintay Casablanca Sauvignon Blanc, ($14.99) now it was a fine wine…just fine but nothing all that special and it just got lost in the tasting. I have had the wine before and it got little more than a shrug outta me. Some citrus and tang with a too clean, almost nothing there finish.
I had a great time, loved most of the wines and the people that did show were totally into hearing all about the wines, what foods they would show well with and agreed that this, “lesser” variety, was indeed varied and diverse…and they just taste so damn good!
As soon as the tasting was cleaned up I grabbed my bag and headed home to pick up the hubby...dinner at the Vortex next!
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