Hi alt.food.wine:

Lately I'm finding that my grape of choice is sauvignon blanc
("SB"). I like them in many different styles; my personal favorites
are ones with grassy and floral notes. I also really like the Kathryn
Hall T-Bar-T that has melon undertones. The newer vintages lost the
melon unfortunately, and tend more to grapefruit.

I like big acid and grapefruit so long as the nose doesn't smell like
stomach acid (cough, Oyster Bay, cough). Because my wife and I are ok
with grapefruit notes and acid, I find myself drinking mostly New
Zealand SB for consistency and the ability to have a a decent
bottle---for my palette---for anywhere from $9.99--20.00 (urban area
in Texas).

I've been trying to drink American SBs; but, I haven't had much
success in the same price range. The wine is either boring, or needs
fruit or cheese to either bring out or mask the wines. I love some of
the more expensive bottles, like Cade, the aforementioned Kathryn
Hall, and Joseph Phelps' SBs; but, I'm not financially able to spend
$30-50 a bottle for drinking at home. We spend more money on our reds,
and have difficulty in spending over $20.00 on a bottle of SB. (We're
young but have good noses and decent palettes. Yellowtail is the
physical manifestation of Satan in a bottle in our opinion. And the
moscato craze should be called punch, not wine).

So, my question to you oenophiles:

What are your go-to SBs that come from American-grown grapes? What
flavors? What year? Why? What's your typical price and in what region
the U.S.? Just trying to get some recommendations on good bottles of
American wine. California has me sold on Pinot Noir, big Cabs, and red
blends as compared to the rest of the world; but, not so far on SBs.

Thanks in advance for the replies! A votre sante.

Jim > writes:

> Hi alt.food.wine:
>
> Lately I'm finding that my grape of choice is sauvignon blanc
> ("SB"). I like them in many different styles; my personal favorites
> are ones with grassy and floral notes. I also really like the Kathryn
> Hall T-Bar-T that has melon undertones. The newer vintages lost the
> melon unfortunately, and tend more to grapefruit.
>
> I like big acid and grapefruit so long as the nose doesn't smell like
> stomach acid (cough, Oyster Bay, cough). Because my wife and I are ok
> with grapefruit notes and acid, I find myself drinking mostly New
> Zealand SB for consistency and the ability to have a a decent
> bottle---for my palette---for anywhere from $9.99--20.00 (urban area
> in Texas).
>
> I've been trying to drink American SBs; but, I haven't had much
> success in the same price range. The wine is either boring, or needs
> fruit or cheese to either bring out or mask the wines. I love some of
> the more expensive bottles, like Cade, the aforementioned Kathryn
> Hall, and Joseph Phelps' SBs; but, I'm not financially able to spend
> $30-50 a bottle for drinking at home. We spend more money on our reds,
> and have difficulty in spending over $20.00 on a bottle of SB. (We're
> young but have good noses and decent palettes. Yellowtail is the
> physical manifestation of Satan in a bottle in our opinion. And the
> moscato craze should be called punch, not wine).
>
> So, my question to you oenophiles:
>
> What are your go-to SBs that come from American-grown grapes? What
> flavors? What year? Why? What's your typical price and in what region
> the U.S.? Just trying to get some recommendations on good bottles of
> American wine. California has me sold on Pinot Noir, big Cabs, and red
> blends as compared to the rest of the world; but, not so far on SBs.
>
> Thanks in advance for the replies! A votre sante.

I love SB too. I don't go to US wines for that even though I live
here and am American. Too many from CA try to imitate CA Chardonnay
(which even if I didn't like is not a suitable goal for a SB).

Add that to the general problem that US wines tend to be on the
expensive side for what you get, and I've just sort of given up.

Like you, I enjoy New Zealand sauvignon blanc. But France is still my
go-to for Sauvignon Blanc. You can find lovely Loire Sauvignon Blancs
for $20 and under (Touraine, and sometimes Sancerre, though the latter
can get expensive), and you can also find some nice white Bordeaux
(look for Graves).

The wine that got me started with SB was white Graves with salmon.
And the Loire is a fantastic white wine area (not just SB of course)
which seems to be underappreciated in the US. SB, Chenin Blanc,
Muscadet (not actually a grape variety and not to be confused with
Muscat).

On 8/13/13 11:31 PM, Jim wrote:
> Hi alt.food.wine:
>
> Lately I'm finding that my grape of choice is sauvignon blanc
> ("SB"). I like them in many different styles; my personal favorites
> are ones with grassy and floral notes. I also really like the Kathryn
> Hall T-Bar-T that has melon undertones. The newer vintages lost the
> melon unfortunately, and tend more to grapefruit.
>
> I like big acid and grapefruit so long as the nose doesn't smell like
> stomach acid (cough, Oyster Bay, cough). Because my wife and I are ok
> with grapefruit notes and acid, I find myself drinking mostly New
> Zealand SB for consistency and the ability to have a a decent
> bottle---for my palette---for anywhere from $9.99--20.00 (urban area
> in Texas).

The question you're asking isn't as easy as you might think, Jim. My
wife likes SB a lot, too, and we drink quite a bit. For price, it's
hard to find wines from CA that compete with those from NZ. St. Supery
used to make a very nice example, and Merry Edwards does as well, but
the latter isn't cheap at all. In earlier years, Geyser Peak's SB was
decent enough, but I haven't tried one in ages.

For better examples from NZ, try Villa Maria, Drylands, Brancott and
Giesen. Most of those are quite available in the US.

Mark Lipton


--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

On 8/13/2013 11:31 PM, Jim wrote:
> Hi alt.food.wine:
>
> Lately I'm finding that my grape of choice is sauvignon blanc
> ("SB"). I like them in many different styles; my personal favorites
> are ones with grassy and floral notes. I also really like the Kathryn
> Hall T-Bar-T that has melon undertones. The newer vintages lost the
> melon unfortunately, and tend more to grapefruit.
>
> I like big acid and grapefruit so long as the nose doesn't smell like
> stomach acid (cough, Oyster Bay, cough). Because my wife and I are ok
> with grapefruit notes and acid, I find myself drinking mostly New
> Zealand SB for consistency and the ability to have a a decent
> bottle---for my palette---for anywhere from $9.99--20.00 (urban area
> in Texas).
>
> I've been trying to drink American SBs; but, I haven't had much
> success in the same price range. The wine is either boring, or needs
> fruit or cheese to either bring out or mask the wines. I love some of
> the more expensive bottles, like Cade, the aforementioned Kathryn
> Hall, and Joseph Phelps' SBs; but, I'm not financially able to spend
> $30-50 a bottle for drinking at home. We spend more money on our reds,
> and have difficulty in spending over $20.00 on a bottle of SB. (We're
> young but have good noses and decent palettes. Yellowtail is the
> physical manifestation of Satan in a bottle in our opinion. And the
> moscato craze should be called punch, not wine).
>
> So, my question to you oenophiles:
>
> What are your go-to SBs that come from American-grown grapes? What
> flavors? What year? Why? What's your typical price and in what region
> the U.S.? Just trying to get some recommendations on good bottles of
> American wine. California has me sold on Pinot Noir, big Cabs, and red
> blends as compared to the rest of the world; but, not so far on SBs.
>
> Thanks in advance for the replies! A votre sante.
>
>
>

Here are 3 Sauvignon Blancs we have been drinking lately -

2012 Cloud Break SB from CA is 7.99 at the MD Total Wines
Tasting Notes - Crisp and refreshing with aromas of lime and lemongrass.
The palate has bright acidity and a clean finish.

2012 Brancott SB from NZ is $7.99 at above store
Typical SB grassy aroma and crisp taste of grapefruit.

2012 Lindemans Bin 95 from AUS is $4.99 at above store
Tasting Notes - Medium bodied and elegant. Flinty, herbaceous with
lively citrus and gooseberry notes. The finish is long and elegant with
crisp acidity and good length.

In vino veritas Rusty

> 2012 Cloud Break SB from CA is 7.99 at the MD Total Wines
> Tasting Notes - Crisp and refreshing with aromas of lime and
> lemongrass. The palate has bright acidity and a clean finish.
>
> 2012 Brancott SB from NZ is $7.99 at above store
> Typical SB grassy aroma and crisp taste of grapefruit.
>
> 2012 Lindemans Bin 95 from AUS is $4.99 at above store
> Tasting Notes - Medium bodied and elegant. Flinty, herbaceous with
> lively citrus and gooseberry notes. The finish is long and elegant with
> crisp acidity and good length.

Thanks for the replies. I'll definitely check out your recommendations
Rusty. I think I've had the Brancott before, but not the Cloud Break or
Lindemans.

On 2013-08-14, Doug Anderson > wrote:
> Jim > writes:
>
>
> I love SB too. I don't go to US wines for that even though I live
> here and am American. Too many from CA try to imitate CA Chardonnay
> (which even if I didn't like is not a suitable goal for a SB).

I still don't understand why the American producers can't beat the
imported wines considering we have some very very good soil
in the states. I guess it comes down to cost of labor being too
high.

Agreed on how Cali SBs tend to taste like poor chards. Which is
ironic because I'm of the philosophy that an average SB *blows*
away an average chard (depending on pairings etc.).

It's a shame really. Our bourbons are extremely complex, our big
reds have become quite excellent; but, we can't put together some
simple whites. Oh well.

Anony Mouse 'Jim' m> writes:

> On 2013-08-14, Doug Anderson > wrote:
> > Jim > writes:
> >
> >
> > I love SB too. I don't go to US wines for that even though I live
> > here and am American. Too many from CA try to imitate CA Chardonnay
> > (which even if I didn't like is not a suitable goal for a SB).
>
> I still don't understand why the American producers can't beat the
> imported wines considering we have some very very good soil
> in the states. I guess it comes down to cost of labor being too
> high.

Actually I think the cost of real estate is at least as important. US
wineries tend to be on land bought in the last generation or so for
expensive California prices. European wineries are often on land that
has been in the same family for generations so that even if local real
estate prices might be high in principle, the owners don't have to be
paying a mortgage on the land.

I think this accounts for some of why our wine is not a particularly
good QPR.

> Agreed on how Cali SBs tend to taste like poor chards. Which is
> ironic because I'm of the philosophy that an average SB *blows*
> away an average chard (depending on pairings etc.).

Its the acidity. A workmanlike SB will have good acidity to pair with
food, whereas a workmanlike US chard will likely not.

On 2013-08-15 06:13:49 +0000, Doug Anderson said:

>
> Actually I think the cost of real estate is at least as important. US
> wineries tend to be on land bought in the last generation or so for
> expensive California prices. European wineries are often on land that
> has been in the same family for generations so that even if local real
> estate prices might be high in principle, the owners don't have to be
> paying a mortgage on the land.
>

D'uh. That's a great point. Maybe in another 30 years we'll see some of
the notes paid off and some more competitve pricing.

Well, I love Kalin SB, but probably not what you are looking for (current release is probably 1998 or so). On high end Heitz and Mayacamas make serious SB in a more Bdx blanc mode.

I was surprised by liking a Silverado SB. Grey Stack ain't bad, but here they are closing. With SB not being a "hot" Cali varietal wine you might keep an eye out for well priced cleanskin rebrands like Cameron Hughes.

But for SB I mostly look to Loire.

On 8/13/13 11:31 PM, Jim wrote:

> I like big acid and grapefruit so long as the nose doesn't smell like
> stomach acid (cough, Oyster Bay, cough).

Prompted by this comment, I recently tried a bottle of the 2013 Oyster
Bay Sauvignon Blanc, and I have to say that I found it quite appealing.
To me, its nose smelled of grapefruit and grass, and it had great
acidity, a very savory flavor profile and good depth. I'm not sure what
about it reminded you of stomach acid.

Mark Lipton



--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

On 2013-08-21 18:08:27 +0000, Mark Lipton said:

>> I like big acid and grapefruit so long as the nose doesn't smell like
>> stomach acid (cough, Oyster Bay, cough).
>
> Prompted by this comment, I recently tried a bottle of the 2013 Oyster
> Bay Sauvignon Blanc, and I have to say that I found it quite appealing.
> To me, its nose smelled of grapefruit and grass, and it had great
> acidity, a very savory flavor profile and good depth. I'm not sure what
> about it reminded you of stomach acid.

It was all in the nose. I've probably had 5 or 6 bottles over the last
few years; my wife loves it. The taste is fine, the grass and
grapefruit are fine; but, I just would always smell that bad 'hangover'
stomach acid smell. It's about the only wine that does that to me.