Better Bred Sauvignon Blancs Now Veer Away From The Cloying New Zealand Model

Forbes

18-04-2025

An illustration of the different blocks of Sauvignon Blanc at Larkmead Vineyards in Napa Valley
The world of wine lovers may be split into those who love certain aspects of Sauvignon Blanc and those who find the wines too floral and herbaceous to enjoy the way one might drier Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio or Riesling. In France Sauvignon Blanc––let's call it 'SB'––has a heralded place in its viticulture as the basis for Bordeaux wines like Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé and, most notably, Sauternes and Barsac.
What alerted many international consumers to SB, while turning many others off the varietal, was the immensely popular Cloudy Bay version from New Zealand, which appealed to those who like their wine to taste like pungent, grassy fruit punch. In fact, it really put New Zealand on the map as a wine producing nation, and its success caused a tsunami of mediocre SBs to flood the market as a predominant style that for the past two decades has been much copied in California and internationally.
According to Wine Business Monthly, SB Blanc was the only varietal of the top 10 wines sold by retailers to show growth in both sales value and volume last year.
Fortunately smaller, more focused vineyards in California and other countries have diverged from that cloying style, and I'm finding much better, more refreshing SBs than ever. Surprisingly, some of them are now priced above $50, which had never before been the case. Arkenstone Estate Blanc 2022 was priced at $125, and it's already sold out.
Here are some I've enjoyed this year from the 2023 and 2024 vintages.
A Sauvignon Blanc from the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa
Southern Right South Africa 2024 ($16). Founded in 1994, Southern Right is a small winery that specializes in Pinotage and SB made . just behind the old fishing village of Hermanus. in the cool, maritime Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, within the Walker Bay appellation. Founder and winemaker Hamilton Russell aims to bring out unique South African flavors, and it is very well-priced for this clean, fresh style.
The Sattlerhof Winery 2023 ($25). This Austrian winery has existed since the late 1880s in the village of Gamlitz, and was given its current name by Wilhelm Sattler Senior and his wife Aloisia and his two brothers Willi and Hanes in the 1960s. The vineyard covers 99 acres of organically farmed vines, including 'grand crus' Kranachberg and Pfarrweingarten. Known for its longevity, this is a Sauvignon Blanc with 13% alcohol that ages well to develop more character.
Priest Ranch's Sauvignon Blanc iz made at an unusually high alcohol level for the varietal.
Priest Ranch 2023 ($28). Priest Ranch in Napa Valley dates to 1869, established by Gold Rush prospector James Joshua Priest. This SB comes from the Somerson Estate in Napa Valley, and shows a considerable hike in alcohol at 14.3%, and it thereby gains body. It was sulfured to prevent Malolactic fermentation, then aged on the lees and stirred twice a week before being bottled. The winery's 244 acres allow for multiple block blending that adds nuance.
Stewart Napa Valley 2023 ($36). The grapes come 100% from the Money Lane Vineyard in the Oakville AVA. The vintage was a cool one, allowing the grapes to mature slowly in autumn to balance sweet and acid components. It is well fruited and at 12.9% alcohol easy to drink as an aperitif and cheeses.
Brassfield Estate 2023 ($22). While there is definite fruit on the palate, there is also a crisp acidity that keeps it from being overripe. The vineyard, owned by Jerry Brassfield, is in Lake County, California, on the High Valley AVA known as 'High Serenity Ranch,' where temperature swings of 40 degrees are common. The wine is aged six months and lightly fined and filtered.
Appass
Appassionata is made by its German owner in a more restrained European style.
ionata Über Estate 2022 ($40). ($40). German winemaker Ernst 'Erni' Loosen's has made this SB his 'passion project,' from Oregon's Chehalem Mountains in the Willamette Valley. Given his heritage, Loosens aimed for a more refined European style of SB. He and head winemaker Tim Malone craft the wine to be long-lived, and I think this will be considerably more interesting and balanced in a year or two. Still, now it is one of my favorites.
Larkmead Lillie 2022 ($75). With 115 contiguous acres of vineyard, spread across the Napa Valley, Larkmead had been devoted to Bordeaux varietals, floor, redeveloped since 1995 with a single exception. Mornings enjoy a cool, rolling fog that comes from the Chalk Hill Gap in Knights Valley, and evenings cool down drastically. According to vineyard manager Nabor Camerina, he compares Lillie to a Chardonnay: 'The nose may be aromatically in tune with its variety, but the palate possesses the weight and gravitas of a Chardonnay.'
J. de Villebois 2023 ($23). Typical of the restraint the better French SBs show, this example comes from a family winery owned by Joost and Miguela de Willebois, located in the Loire Valley with a Touraine appellation. The alcohol is a sensible 12.5% for a SB, and the acidity is very refreshing and the minerality delicious throughout a citrus-dominated palate. They began making SB in 2004 and it is now their flagship wine, along with making Pouilly-Fumé and Sancerre of high quality.
Andica 2024 ($13). A very well priced Chilean SB made by the major winery Miguel Torres in the Curicó Valley. It's got pleasing heft in its 13.5% alcohol, and was aged in stainless steel until bottle last June. Its pale green-gold color is like polished brass, and the herbs are in tandem with the aromas and acids to make it an excellent wine with shellfish.
Double Diamond 2023 ($55). Napa's Double Diamond is well known for its red wines, but this is their first white, in its second year of release. The grapes come from the To Kalon Vineyard in Oakville and Wappo Hill (Stags Leap District), which gives them intensity and concentration of flavor and aromas. Winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown blends 80% SB with 20% Semillon (as is often the case in France), spending ten months in both steel and oak barrels, to emerge at a big 14.5% alcohol.
This Sauvignon Blanc was made to age for a few years to meld flavors.
Ink Grade 2022 ($75). Produced by Matt Taylor from older vines, this is a very expensive example made from grapes in Napa's Howell Mountain that are pressed longer than usual 'to build structure and expose a minor note of bitterness in the finish.' He also recommends a double or triple decanting right now to sew together its virtues, but that he believes 'it will open on its own in 2026.' As such it is a fine SB that will go especially well with poultry as well as seafood in rich sauces.