Where to Look Beyond New Zealand for Stunning Sauvignon Blanc
Fans of the grassy, gooseberry zip of New Zealand sauvignon blanc take heed: You might start to notice a bit less of the antipodean juice on shelves. Chillier than normal spring weather causing early frosts, and some other ups and downs during the early part of the growing season brought the grape’s yield way down across the board, by over 20% in well-known spots like mighty Marlborough, along with Wairarapa, Nelson, and North Canterbury, according to New Zealand Wine. If that weren’t enough labor shortages and rising production costs due to the Covid 19 viral epidemic added more difficulty to the growing season and harvest, too, with producers scrambling to meet demand.
But New Zealand certainly isn’t the only place for great versions of SB. From its ancestral home in the Loire Valley of France to crisp, quenching Chilean pours, there’s a world of the white (quite literally—it’s grown all over the globe) to sate your thirst. We’re not saying you have to ditch your kiwi faves, but why not take this opportunity to get to know a few other regions with a knack for their very own versions of bright and beautiful sauv blanc? Here are 15 to try:
France
Look to the lands around the Loire Valley for SB’s ancestral stony stomping grounds (hello, Sancerre!), as well as Bordeaux where the grape is more often than not blended with the grapes Semillon (best known for making the delicious dessert wine, Sauternes) and Muscadelle, to soften some of SB’s sharper edges.
Domaine Fournier Pere e Fils Sauvignon Blanc 2020, $15.95
Hailing from the Loire, this pocket-easy sauv blanc is a little fleshier than its NZ cousins, with notes of pear, peach, and citrus, but its juicy, zesty nature is lovely all by itself or paired with plush, tangy goat cheese.
Francis Blanchet Pouilly Fume 2019, $21.99
The flinty, minerally soils of these sustainably farmed vineyards in Pouilly-sur-Loire show their influence in the delightful savoriness of this wine. With a faint green glint to its medium-pale lemony hue, the nose is all fresh-plucked herbs and a hint of smoke, with a wash of white grapefruit and pear skin on the palate, finishing with a wonderful, luxuriant textural snap of waxiness.
Chateau de Bonhoste Bordeaux Blanc 2020, $12
White Bordeaux are some of the best deals going in the land of Sauvignon Blanc and Bonhoste’s version offers so much bang for the buck, with layers of stone and citrus fruit flavors—think nectarines, Macoun apples, and tangerines—and a full, voluptuous texture balanced by just-right acidity.
California
When you think of the West Coast, visions of swirling glasses full of cab and chard likely come to mind, but the nation’s Golden State makes some pretty succulent versions of SB, too. From Napa to the Central Coast, you’ll find styles that range from refreshing and zippy to juicy and voluminous.
JUSTIN Sauvignon Blanc 2020, $16
There are so many layers of sensory surprise going on in this Central Coast charmer. Get your nose close to the glass, and it’s all fresh chamomile and acacia flowers; take a sip, and your palate fills with its rich, weighty texture and gorgeous flavors of juicy white peach, fresh early-summer basil, and a lemony, bees-waxy finish. It’s an SB that’s made for food, like an herb-crusted pork loin on the grill paired with a salad of arugula and apples drizzled in honey-mustard dressing.
Ancient Peaks Paso Robles Sauvignon Blanc, Santa Margarita Ranch 2020, $15
This pretty Paso Robles offering shows off the influence of the Pacific breezes that cool down these estate vineyards in the evenings. It’ll grab you with its racy, mineral-driven nature, and keep you sipping with zippy notes of both juice and pith of pink grapefruit and lime, but with a little extra West Coast-appropriate weightiness on the palate.
Graham + Stella Sauvignon Blanc, 2018, $30
Master of Wine Christy Canterbury and winemaker Jaime Araujo of Troix Noix got together to craft a sauv blanc of which they are each proud, both technically and morally. For every bottle sold, $1 is donated directly to the North Shore Animal League and Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation, the pet-rescue havens where both Canterbury and Araujo adopted their own beloved pups (whose names and cartoon likenesses grace the bottle). A little more than half is straight-up SB, with the rest a blend of the aromatic sauvignon musque clone and Semillon. The result is a minerally, herbaceous walk through a summer garden. It presents itself with an elegant, linear mouthfeel and flavors of lime zest and fresh thyme, but grows into more generous notes of pineapple skin and flesh, pink grapefruit, and a rock-licking dry finish oh-so lovely for your holiday table (and, hey, for the giving season, apropos for the pups!).
Chile
If news of less New Zealand sauvignon blanc brings a tear to your eye, look to the southern hemisphere for hope: It’s not only Chile’s most-planted grape, but that zippy, grassiness is part and parcel to this sliver of a South American country’s style. But Chile’s no one-trick pony. The north-to-south terrain is so varied, from ocean-influence to high-altitude plantings to desert, there are myriad expressions from which to choose—and often, pretty great bargains to boot.
Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc 2020, $12
If you’re looking for a refreshing, dependable everyday white, this crisp, grassy Casablanca Valley version is made from organically grown grapes and offers up a burst of lemon and white grapefruit citrus aromas and flavors, with a pithy, lip-smacking finish that’s entirely quenching.
Albamar Estate Series SB 2020, $12
This fresh and lively white, also from the prolific Casablanca Valley area, smells and tastes of honeysuckle, dried pineapple, fresh basil, and a punch of lime and lemon juice and zest. The finish is a little on the short side, but it’s dry and lip-smacking and a great pick for weekday night wind-down.
Siegel Gran Reserva Sauvignon Blanc Leyda 2020, $18
The acidity in this herbaceous sipper from the Leyda Valley balances the pretty notes of kumquats and lemon and lime juice, along with the latter’s zest and pith notes, which linger on the finish with a just-right snap of bitter citrus punch that leaves you thirsting for another sip.
Terrunyo Sauvignon Blanc 2019, $25
The price-point may seem high for Chile, but this single-vineyard offering from Concho y Toro’s Terrunyo label is worth the splurge. The Los Boldos vineyard sits nearly 1,300 feet above sea level, and you feel the altitude in the puckering acidity and sun-ripened flavors of pink grapefruit and nectarine flesh and pit, along with a balancing punchy note of watermelon rind on the finish.
New York
Sauvignon blanc grown in the maritime-influenced climate of eastern Long Island are no-brainers for seafood lovers, from sushi to seared scallops, apropos for the abundant farm-to-sea food offerings of the area—or anywhere.
Macari Sauvignon Blanc 2020, $26
This family-run producer is now on its third generation, and their sincere focus on sustainable growing practices and commitment to quality winemaking continues to make them one of New York’s best regional ambassadors. Fermented in stainless steel, this classic, refreshing sauvignon blanc is crisp and lively, with notes of fresh, sweet summer herbs, grapefruit, and lime juice and zest, the latter of which lingers on the dry finish.
Saltbird Cellars Sauvignon Blanc 2019 , $25
Founder and winemaker Robin Epperson-McCarthy—a North Fork-native, sailor, and 100% bad-ass—let the grapes linger a little longer before harvesting in early October 2020, hoping the extra days of ripening would tease out a more voluptuous, tropical side of the grape, and her instinct was spot-on. Juicy notes of honeydew melon, pink grapefruit zest, kaffir lime, and pineapple fill your mouth, but the acidity born of the cool, autumn evenings here keeps this medium-bodied beauty in balance.
Wölffer “Antonov” Sauvignon Blanc 2020, $32
One of the few—and certainly, the most successful—producers on the South Fork of Long Island (aka, the Hamptons), Wölffer made its name on its fresh, fruity style of rose that flies off the shelves perennially, but talented winemaker and German ex-pat Roman Roth has so many more tricks in his bag. This is no porch-pounder; it’s a wine that longs for a great meal, and its concentrated, waxy nature is teased from the aromatic, estate-grown Sauvignon Musque clone, picked a bit late in the season to seek out the clone’s more fleshy, exotic notes of juicy pear and papaya here. Some extra time on the lees adds a voluptuous, velvety texture, but that hum of seaside minerality keeps it from being too weighty. Gorgeously balanced and packed with flavor, it’s a wine that will take you from oysters to turkey and stuffing without a hitch.
Italy
Italy is certainly seeing a wonderful, well-deserved celebration of its indigenous grapes lately, but the Alpine-influenced lands of the north have a particular way with Sauvignon Blanc, too, offering particularly food-friendly expressions of the popular white varietal.
Colterenzio Prail Sauvignon 2019, $22
Whites in the Alpine-influenced region of Alto Adige stand out across the varietal board, but this medium-bodied stunner from Colterenzio is particularly special and worth seeking out. It smells of honeysuckle blossoms and fresh basil, and in your mouth opens up with the flavor of lemon juice squeezed on juicy, ripe slices of pear, with a crescendo into robust yellow apple and quince notes. The structural acidity keeps all of it humming along, and creates a perfect complement to apple and sage-flecked pork sausage dressing if that’s your holiday jam.
Elena Walch Sauvignon 2020, $20
Alto Adige’s Elena Walch is one of the best ambassadors of this Alpine region, offering well-distributed, stand-up examples of what can be found in this northwestern corner of Italy on the border of Austria. This pretty, aromatic SB offers aromas of lemon verbena, gooseberries, and Meyer lemons, and a rich, ripe note of nectarine, too, with vibrant, humming minerally acidity that would easily cut right through the fattiness of a plate of ricotta-filled mezzalune.
Via Alpina Sauvignon 2020, $20
Friuli is home to rivers of beautiful, food-friendly white wines, and this sauvignon blanc (or Sauvignon, as you will often find it labeled from these parts) is no exception. The second label of Giampaolo Venica, of Fruili’s organically-focused Venica & Venica, Via Aplina’s foral-scented Sauvignon is entirely easy to love—it fills your mouth with juicy, ripe apple notes and, zesty lime cordial, but finishes entirely dry and zippy. NZ lovers may well find themselves buying this excellent Italian sub long after the shortage subsides.
Austria
Sattlerhof Sudsteiermark Sauvignon Blanc 2019 $25
Yes, it is a mouthful of consonants and vowels, but it’s oh-so-easy to get your tongue around the bright, beautiful sauvignon blanc from Austria’s southern Styria region. With organic and sustainably focused practices (and bonus: screwcap!), the grapes are grown in well-drained sandy, shell-flecked limestone soils, and you can smell and taste the influence in its fresh, minerally character with aromatics and flavors of young, salted pineapple, Meyer lemon, and a stony, dry finish.
Maria and Sepp Muster Sauvignon vom Opek 2019, $32
Got SB haters in the crowd? This roller-coaster ride of savory and fruit flavors is a natural wine geek’s happy place. Its deep gold hue is the first surprise, and then it kicks things off with slightly oxidized notes of crushed apple seeds and dried bay leaf, but that morph in your mouth with the growing sensation of tart green apple flesh and skin. The dry, dry but flavorful finish will have you sucking on your tongue, smacking your lips, and lifting that glass for another sip quick as you can say, “More, please.”