Those percentages may not seem like much to you and me, but the “solid growth,” if not exactly a surge of Sauvignon Blanc in recent years, caught the attention of savvy wine people. You know the Riboli Family, the people behind Stella Rosa, the #1 imported wine brand? Well, they have been paying attention to the market. Noting that "The Sauvignon Blanc varietal has been outpacing the overall wine category in sales and we’ve seen tremendous consumer demand for it," Steve Riboli said when announcing the company now offers six different Sauvignon Blancs. It added one from Italy, joining San Simeon Sauvignon Blanc from Paso Robles, another from New Zealand, and others.
What’s behind the growing appeal of Sauvignon Blanc? Well, everyone is entitled to his/her opinion, so I’ll offer mine. First, the Sauvignon Blanc name is now well-established and no longer needs to be “Frenchified” as Fumé Blanc. In the 1980s, some of you may remember, it was both Robert Mondavi and Dave Stare of Dry Creek Vineyards who, sensing that the Sauvignon Blanc name was a liability, favored the Fumé Blanc name to jump-start sales.
But now, thanks to the boatloads of Sauvignon Blanc coming our way from New Zealand, Sauvignon Blanc is familiar to most wine drinkers. Some may not like the assertive style of New Zealand with its sharp green, herbal aroma and piercing acidity. But led by the ubiquitous Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc and Costco’s Ti Point wines named Sauvignon Blanc are at least back in the game. So, it is not surprising to see more and more Sauvignon Blancs from Chile joined by a few from Argentina, Australia and South Africa being positioned as less expensive and more appealing than under $20 Chardonnays and more flavorful than most supermarket offerings of Pinot Grigio.
Speaking of supermarket wines, I can’t help but note that most of the pioneering wineries that led the way with Sauvignon or Fume Blanc are now lining the supermarket shelves. As an item in the portfolios of corporations, many of my old favorites like Matanzas Creek, Duckhorn, Ferrari-Carano, Kenwood Vineyards, Château St. Jean, Kunde and others are no longer leading the pack. I’ve tried recent vintages—and they all came up short.
It deserves to be noted that now in its 50th year, Dry Creek Vineyards is as reliable as always. Not only is it producing wines labeled Sauvignon Blanc and Fumé Blanc, but it also offers Sauvignons from separate clones and even one from a distinct vineyard block. Not many wineries followed along to make Sauvignon Blanc / Fumé Blanc its signature wine.
But that seems about to change as several newcomers, mainly creative winemakers running their own wineries, have picked up the challenge and are experimenting with different interpretations of Sauvignon Blanc. This is my second point to explain the recent market success. Because through their exploration of sites, fermentation techniques and aging vessels, they are coming up with head-turning wines that keep Sauvignon Blanc on the radar as exciting and newsworthy. In mind here are relative newcomers to the wine scene such as Desparada, Patricia Green, Tooth & Nail, Cadre, Verdad, Arnot-Roberts, Easton, Tin Barn, Savage Grace, and Le Pich, among others.
Before moving on to the newcomers and new places, the most fascinating component in this exciting trend is based upon a new style that emphasizes the site via cool climate, high elevation, soil composition and whatever else leads to Sauvignon Blanc with some degree of what’s called “minerality.”
“Minerality” is now widely used and of course overdone, but it is definitely behind the new style of Sauvignon Blanc. Maybe it is just a cool word to use instead of smokey and flinty. But whatever is behind it, this new move toward a distinctive style, neither Kiwi nor quite Loire Valley, is exciting. Many winemakers side with Bill Easton when he declares that the Easton version “has neither the excessive herbaceousness of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc nor the creamy richness of some California Sauvignon Blancs that lean toward a Chardonnay profile.” Easton believes the Sierra Foothills helps him achieve the desired stylistic goal: “Sauvignon Blanc reflects our terroir well. Granite sites at 1,300, 1,800, and 2,500 foot elevations; diurnal cool nights. Granite minerality in the finished wine to balance the fruit and enhance the aromatics.”
There’s a move away from the “Chardonnay-wannabe” style that is ripe, oak influenced and creamy on the palate. “Fresh,” “crisp” and “racy” are popular descriptors for this emerging style of Sauvignon Blanc. The 2023 from Ancient Peaks Winery in Paso Robles, for example, is presented as a wine “that strikes a fine balance of ripeness and raciness, with crisp acidity and appealing mineral accents.”
Though it seems like the polar opposite of Paso Robles in so many ways, Oregon’s Willamette Valley is also advocating a new look to Sauvignon Blanc. Three years ago, a dozen wineries banded together under the name of “Sauvage” to make their case and promote their version. As Brent Stone, King Estate’s winemaker sums things up: “The Sauvignon Blanc wine style in Oregon can be really nice. You still get some of those traditional tropical and stone fruit notes but also subtle minerality and crisp acidity that can add balance and often make the wines very food-friendly at the same time.”
While King Estate is now selling its Sauvignon Blanc nationwide, most Oregon wineries are “garagiste” in size. But they share the same enthusiasm. Veteran winemaker Joe Dobbes describes his stylistic goal at his Iterum Wines with Sauvignon Blanc in similar language. The stylistic goal is this: "What world class Sauvignon Blanc should look like [for me] is true varietal character showcasing—primarily—copious amounts of fruit and not herbs and vegetables; crisp, forward acidity and freshness in the palate, and attention to combining all the above with palate weight, which makes the wine more interesting."
The late Patricia Green was the first to champion Willamette Valley Sauvignon Blanc. Today, her partner Jim Andersen continues her take on the wine. As Jim writes about the current vintage, “This is classic Sauvignon Blanc provided you do not think this variety should smell like cut grass and “cat pee.” The label shows pink grapefruit, lemons, limes, and peaches with wild herbs peeking out behind the fruit, which is pretty much exactly what you’ll taste. We get a note of Meyer lemon, too. The texture is round and silky before the acids come up to make your cheeks pucker and mouth water through a satisfying and fresh close. If you triangulate New Zealand Sauvignon, Sancerre, and California’s best, you’ll sort of understand what to expect.”
If you are looking for outspoken, dare-to-be-different California winemakers strongly invested in Sauvignon Blanc, Paso Robles is your best stop. At her Desperada winery, owner-winemaker Vailia From is exploring Sauvignon Blanc from multiple angles. For sub-regions, she is working with vineyards in the Santa Maria Valley of Santa Barbara, Edna Valley of San Luis Obispo, and York Mountain, the oldest AVA in Paso Robles. She made several Sauvignon Blancs from single clones and fermented and aged others in amphorae, neutral French oak, or Acacia barrels. Her 2022 Carmen Sauvignon was fermented and aged with native yeast in a concrete tulip named “Carmen” for 4 months. Yes, she named the concrete vat.
With white wines now 50% of Desparada’s annual output, Sauvignon Blanc caught her attention when someone in France served her an 18-year-old Sancerre. That to Vailia was an epiphany. Sauvignon Blanc, she says, was “vastly underappreciated” but so diverse that she wanted to show that it is “versatile, fresh and vibrant…a wine that stands apart from the others.” She appreciates the way that with Sauvignon Blanc the site is able to shine through. While still working with independent vineyards, she is making wines from the 17-acre Celle Vineyard in the York Mountain AVA, a property she bought in 2017. Located “Over 1,600 feet up, eight miles from the Pacific, it’s vastly cooler than the surrounding area,” she explained.
She, like many others I spoke with, likes using Acacia oak because it is more neutral, not toasty, and thus lets the varietal character shine though. The majority of winemakers now seem to prefer aging Sauvignon Blanc in stainless steel, neutral French oak, or Acacia. I don’t think that’s a compromise, but it must help the winery budget.
As for new places, let’s start with the Edna Valley and a winery named Cadre. Its 2021 Sauvignon Blanc, subtitled "Stone Blossom” is super and very minerally. Cadre is a winery owned by John Nevin, whose grandfather developed Paragon Vineyards in 1973. This vineyard now supplies Sauvignon to several other wineries such as Tangent, Talley, Tolosa, Niner, Verdad, and Stephen Ross.
Cadre’s 2021 Sauvignon Blanc is 100% from that vineyard with some harvested from a block planted in 1973. Owner John Niven has this to offer: “I’m super proud of our Sauvignon Blanc, as it represents one of the rare cool, climate examples in California. Most people don’t realize that the majority of Sauvignon Blanc in California is grown in a warm climate. My rough calcs have that at 99%. However, if you think of the greatest SB examples in the world, they hail from cool climates (think Loire, Friuli, Marlborough, etc.). Hence the variety is right at home here on the cool San Luis Obispo Coast.”
Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara is another region worth following. John Dragonette with Dragonette Cellars makes an outstanding Sauvignon Blanc. He explains, “With its marine soils and high diurnal variations, when properly farmed for reasonable yields and vine balance, makes for a unique wine. It’s at once ripe with tropical fruits but balanced with fantastic natural acidity and a terrific mineral edge.”
Louisa Sawyer pointed me in the direction of Ballard Canyon also in Santa Barbara. She came out and said, “I like Ballard Canyon a lot and have always been a fan of Rusack’s and Beckmen’s Sauvignon Blanc. Some people say it’s the ‘gold standard’ for Sauvignon Blanc in Santa Barbara County.” Her 2023 Sauvignon Blanc from the Rusack Vineyard is a fine example.
She went on to add: “It is a unique micro-climate, with a north-south oriented canyon with favorable wind, which helps with mildew pressure. Morning fog, maritime influences and a 40-degree diurnal temperature shift keep the acids high, yet there’s enough heat to ripen this variety nicely. I like the fact that the vines are 20 years old and the vineyard is certified organic.”
Not to be overlooked, the Rogue Valley and Umpqua Valley are both major players in this Sauvignon Blanc revival. During a recent visit to Kriselle Cellars, I tasted a 2022 Sauvignon Blanc and a barrel aged 2020 “Select.” Both were attractive, though the 2002 was more appealing with its bright acidity and texture. At Reustle Vineyards in the Umpqua Valley, the 2023 Sauvignon Blanc combined lovely fruit with lively flavors ending with a note of minerality.
One of the Rogue Valley’s talented winemakers is Eric Weisinger, who made his 2023 Sauvignon Blanc in a Graves style by barrel aging and adding Semillon. But for the 2023 Peter William Sauvignon Blanc, he was asked to aim for a Loire Valley style, meaning fresh, fruity, and crisp. Different they certainly are, but both are successes.
Sauvignon Blanc seems to perform best on hillsides and high elevations. Not surprisingly, the Sierra Foothills are well-represented by the two new Easton Sauvignons mentioned earlier and recently reviewed. One was from Amador and the other from Calaveras. But from El Dorado, the Lava Cap Sauvignon Blanc should not be overlooked. The 2022 is delightfully zesty, crisp and, yes, minerally.
Anyone still reading may have noticed the lack of Napa names. The reason for the omission was my emphasis on new wineries, winemakers, and new places as possible reasons behind the emergence of Sauvignon Blanc. Two Napa wineries that staked their reputation on Sauvignon Blanc remain among my list of favorites: St. Supery and Honig.