Sauvignon Blancs Releases from the US, Chile, and Italy
Sauvignon Blanc wine is on a roll. Sales in the US market continue to grow, up 24% in 2022. Imports are especially hot, but American producers are responding by planting more vines, especially in California. We’ve tasted a lot of Sauvignon Blanc this year and recently published our in-depth report South African Sauvignon Blanc and Blends. In this article, we present reviews of wines we’ve tasted recently from California, Virginia, the Casablanca and Colchagua Valleys of Chile, and the Alto Adige and Friuli regions of Italy.
Sauvignon Blanc is a grape variety that can be made in several styles. Most the wines reviewed here were fermented and aged in stainless steel, but the Niner Sauvignon Blanc from Edna Valley and the Kellerei Kaltern Stern Sauvignon from Alto Adige gain complexity and firmness from oak aging. The Boordy Dry Bench Reserve has the lowest alcohol level of any Sauvignon Blanc we’ve tasted this year. And the Chilean Sauvignon Blancs offer the best value, especially the Gran Verano Sauvignon, which is also one of the best box wines we’ve ever tasted. In terms of overall quality, our favorites are the Niner Jespersen Ranch and Cadre Stone Blossom Sauvignon Blancs, both from the Edna Valley.
US
Baileyana 2021 Tangent Sauvignon Blanc Paragon Vineyard Edna Valley ($35) 90 Sourced from a single block of the Paragon Vineyard. Displays a citrus nose and is clean and fresh tasting in the mouth with good richness on the palate. Nicely balanced with good grip on the finish.
Blue Rock Vineyard 2022 Baby Blue Blanc Sonoma County ($30) 92 The 2022 Baby Blue Blanc is a lovely blend of 75% Sauvignon Blanc, 18% Semillon and 7% Viognier. Ripe and fruit forward, it reveals aromas and flavors of golden apple and green citrus. Aged in neutral French oak and stainless steel, it offers ripe fruit on the palate with excellent texture and acidity and a long persistent finish. It is even better than the very good 2021 we tasted last season.
Boordy 2022 Landmark Series Sauvignon Blanc Dry Bench Reserve ($30) 90 Yellow straw color. Opening with a bouquet of citrus and kiwi, the Dry Bench Reserve from the Long Green Vineyard is an easy drinking, fresh and mineral-like Sauvignon Blanc. It’s light but balanced with a crisp finish and low in alcohol. 11.5% alc.
Cadre 2022 Stone Blossom Sauvignon Blanc SLO Coast (Edna Valley) ($28) 93 A supremely fresh Sauvignon Blanc showing notes of lime zest and a hint of freshly mown grass on the nose. There’s excellent depth of flavor on a round, full palate of kiwi and lime, finishing long, rich and precise. A superb effort! A blend of 95% Sauvignon Blanc [old vine Clone 1 and ENTAV Clone 530]. The Clone 1is from a single block of 49-year-old vines planted by Jack Niven at Paragon Vineyard. Fermented in stainless steel. 14.2% alc.
Niner 2022 Sauvignon Blanc Jespersen Ranch Edna Valley ($40) 93 The Sauvignon Blanc offers rich tropical and citrus aromas with a light thyme-like note. On the palate there’s bright acidity and attractive grapefruit and passion fruit flavors. It has a full, firm mouth feel. Clones 376 and 1, whole cluster pressed and fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks and large, neutral oak puncheons. 3.2 pH, 14.2% alc.
Notre Vue Estate 2021 Balverne Sauvignon Blanc Chalk Hill ($27) 91 Pale straw. This is a nicely balanced Sauvignon Blanc showing fine scents and flavors of citrus, cool cucumber, and elderflower. There’s just the right amount of acidity, lending a refreshing character to the wine. Distinctively floral. Well done. Handpicked, destemmed, gently pressed, and fermented in stainless steel. pH 3.35,
Stinson Vineyards 2022 Sauvignon Blanc Monticello ($25) 90 This is a flavorful Sauvignon Blanc showing good typicity of the varietal. Kiwi, passion fruit, and green herbs all put in a showing on a fresh, zesty palate with good flavor concentration. Finishes on a flavorful note. Fermented and aged 6 months sur lie in concrete and stainless steel. 12.3% alc.
Talley Vineyard 2022 Sauvignon Blanc Edna Valley ($34) 92 The 2022 Sauvignon Blanc offers aromas of citrus with a touch of white pepper. It reveals flavors of grapefruit with light thyme notes, tangy acidity, and firm minerality. Savory notes complement citrus and minerals on the finish. Barrel and stainless steel fermented with native yeast and extended skin contact. Sourced from Oliver’s Vineyard 13.5% alc.
Chile
Albamar 2022 Sauvignon Blanc Casablanca Valley ($13) 89 Light scents of lemon and clementine with an herbal nuance. Ripe citrus and a hint of rosemary show on a light weight but refreshing, perfumed palate. The perfect sipping wine for a hot summer day. Drink it cold, the Chilean way, with a couple of ice cubes in the glass. 13% alc. Importer: Global Vineyard
Apaltagua 2021 Gran Verano Sauvignon Blanc Valle Central ($24/3L) 89 This box wine is a clear, clean, crisp Sauvignon Blanc with varietally correct aromas and flavors. It’s a light wine both in bouquet and concentration and pleasantly flavored of tart citrus and fresh herbs. An outstanding value at its price point ($4/750ml). Importer: Global Vineyard
Calcu 2022 Sauvignon Blanc – Semillon Gran Reserva Colchagua Valley ($15) 90 Pale green tinged straw. Fresh aromas of grapefruit with hints of mandarin and lemon verbena. Bright and crisp on the palate revealing citrus complemented by fresh herbal notes. Good flavor density lingers on a clean finish. Excellent value! Importer: Global Vineyard
Quintay 2022 Clava Sauvignon Blanc Reserva Casablanca Valley ($16) 90 This is a clean and refreshing Sauvignon Blanc showing hints of herbs, grass and green citrus on the nose. There’s good depth of flavor, firm acidity, a full mouth feel, and a long finish. 13% alc. Tastes like a more expensive wine. Superb value! Importer: Global Vineyard
Italy
Fattori Sauvignon Vecchie Scuole Sauvignon della Venezie IGT ($23) 92 The Sauvignon Vecchie Scuole is 100% Sauvignon Blanc. Yellow-green in color., it offers rich aromas of citrus and herbs and is nicely concentrated on the palate with good acidity and flavor through to a persistent finish. A wonderful and versatile wine for pairing with poultry and richly flavored fish dishes.
Kellerei Kaltern 2021 Sauvignon Sudtirol-Alto Adige 91 Showing a nose that evokes a freshly mown lawn, this is a clean, crisp Sauvignon with oyster shell minerality and lime and green bean flavors. It offers good balance and freshness and has a surprisingly long finish. Fermented and aged in stainless steel. 13.5% alc. Kellerei Kaltern 2021 Stern Sauvignon Sudtirol-Alto Adige ($34) 92 Fresh, aromatic nose of kiwi, thyme and wet stones. Excellent focus and richness with excellent flavor concentration on the mid-palate and lingering mineral like notes with nuances of grapefruit and kiwi. Sourced from a cool, 500m high vineyard with sandy, granitic soils and temperatures moderated by Lake Kaltern and breezes from the 2000m high Mendel Ridge that provide excellent diurnal temperature variation. Cold macerated and matured 20% in large oak botti with 5 months on the lees. 14% alc. The winemaker at this very good, 684 member cooperative is Andrea Moser. They also make a higher end Sauvignon called Quintessenz. US importers include Siema Wines, Omniwines and Enotec Imports.
Monviert 2018 Sauvignon Friuli Colli Orientali 90 Medium yellow straw. Notes of lemon cream and beeswax on the nose. Round, full and softly textured with good acidity and depth of flavor and ready to drink now. Sourced from a vineyard planted in 1992 and fermented and aged in stainless steel with battonage. 13.5% alc. Monviert is a family winery and 87 ha estate established in 1950 on a hilltop in Spessa di Cividale.
Ronchi di Pietro 2021 Sauvignon Friuli Colli Orientali 89 Herbal and grassy on the nose with notes of celery and kiwi that are reflected on the palate. Clean and bright in the mouth with medium flavor concentration and length. Best when well chilled. 13% alc. US Importer: Enotec
Ronco dei Tassi 2021 Clic Sauvignon Venezia Giulia ($14) 89 Light yellow. This is an earthy, savory Sauvignon. There’s medium depth and a round mouth feel with notes of honeycomb, selvatica, and cured lemon. More savory than fruity, so it’s best paired with food. 13% alc. Ronco dei Tassi 2020 Sauvignon Collio ($22) 91 The Sauvignon opens with scents of citrus and green apple with a light accent of fresh thyme. It’s semi-creamy on the palate with good concentration and a long finish. Sourced from the Montona Vineyard with 50-year-old vines and fermented and aged in stainless steel. 13.5% alc. Ronco dei Tassi 2022 Vigna del Lauro Sauvignon Collio ($20) 91 Pale platinum-yellow. Scents of fresh Italian herbs on the nose with a citrus edge. Medium plus concentration and full in texture revealing notes of lemon, passion fruit, and dried herbal flavors. Long finish. Perfect for pairing with vegetable dishes or just drinking on its own. Fermented and aged in stainless steel with partial malo. pH 3.4, 13% alc. Importer: Indigenous Selections
