Vine varieties: Sauvignon Blanc

Dr Maynard A. amerine, long a voice of conscience for California winemakers when in post at the University of California at davis, used to call Sauvignon Blanc California’s greatest white grape. He would also confess that the variety’s forceful flavours probably needed tempering to appeal to the American public. There, in a nutshell, is its career, whether under its own name or under the California-coined synonym fumé blanc. It makes outstanding wines that many find too specific to enjoy, especially against the milder charms of Chardonnay. Some age their Sauvignons in new oak, disguising it as a sort of poor man’s Chardonnay. Others avoid oak and rely on the lees to imbue body and texture. Some blend in proportions of Semillon to temper the flavour and fill out a characteristically light body. A few do all of the above.