Tag Archives: sauvignon blanc

Wine of the week: Shannon Ridge Sauvignon Blanc 2021

Shannon Ridge sauvignon blanc bottle
Shannon Ridge Sauvignon Blanc 2021/$10-$14

Sauvignon blanc offers value and quality – so, yes, it can be done in California

Every once in a while, someone emails to ask why there aren’t more California wines on the blog. The reason, of course, is price – there just aren’t many $15 or less from the Golden State that offer the kind of value and quality that readers here expect.

A very pleasant exception is the Shannon Ridge Sauvignon Blanc 2021 ($11, sample, 13.8%). It’s classic California sauvignon blanc at a more than fair price.

That’s possible for a couple of reasons. First, the grapes come from Lake County, where the land is less expensive and allows producers more leeway with pricing. Second, the producer has a history of terrific cheap wine, including the sometimes hard-to-find Wrangler Red.

So let’s count our blessings. The sauvignon blanc features some lemongrass, some lemon zest, some stoniness, and even a little tropical fruit in the middle that doesn’t get in the way. In other words, there’s a lot more going on than most supermarket whites at this price, and no one has sugared it up (another problem with California wine at this price).

Highly recommended, and a candidate for the 2023 Hall of Fame. This is summer wine, chilled, either on its own or with any number of summer salads (grain bowls, even, for younger wine drinkers) or grilled poultry.

 

Wine of the week: Kono Sauvignon Blanc 2021

Kono sauvignon blanc bottle
Kono Sauvignon Blanc 2021/$10-$19

This New Zealand white is one more example of the failings of wine availability

In 2013 – yes, 2013 — I reviewed this wine and wrote: The Kono is more than just another one-note grapefruit effort, and offers quality at a terrific price.

So why did it take almost 10 years to review the wine again?

We all know the answer to that, don’t we? The three-tier system and how it screws up wine availability. As I told the PR person who sent me the wine: I haven’t seen it Dallas for so long that I figured that no one made it any more.

Fortunately, I was wrong. The 2021 Kono ($12, sample, 13%) offers the same value and quality that it did almost a decade ago. It remains more than just another New Zealand supermarket sauvignon blanc, one of those cute label “Bay” wines that costs $8 and tastes like it.

Yes. there’s plenty of grapefruit, but it’s more white than pink. And, as all well-made Kiwi sauvignon blancs, there’s a hint of something tropical in the middle, as well as that wonderful crisp finish.

If it’s not a candidate for the Hall of Fame next year, it’s something almost as rare: A quality, dependable supermarket white wine that hasn’t been sugared up.

Imported by Total Beverage Solutions

Wine of the week: Jolie Folle Sauvignon Blanc 2020

Jolie Folle Sauvignon Blanc
Jolie Folle Sauvignon Blanc 2020/$12-$16

The 1-liter Jolie Folle is a reminder that sauvignon blanc from France’s Loire can be delicious and affordable

The Jolie Folle 1-liter French rose has been on the blog off and on; it’s inconsistent, but when it’s worth buying, it offers quality and value. For the most part, the brand’s sauvignon blanc hasn’t even been up to that level.

Until this vintage of the Jolie Folle Sauvignon Blanc ($15/1-liter, purchased, 12%).

Typically, the brand’s sauvignon blanc has been thin or unripe or both, hardly the kind of white wine to spend money on. But not this time – the 2020 is stunning, one of those cheap wines that makes me wish more producers cared about making this kind of wine and doing it consistently.

The Loire in France is famous for its sauvignon blanc, but many long ago passed the price that most of us can afford – or want — to pay. The Jolie Folle, though, is a reminder of how wonderful those wines are: ripe lime fruit, some minerality, and a long, clean finish. And did I mention it’s a liter bottle?

Highly recommended. Serve this chilled on its own as the days warm up, and it would pair with almost any kind of grilled chicken.

Imported by Crazy Beautiful Wines

Wine of the week: The Seeker Sauvignon Blanc 2020

seeker sauvignon blanc
The Seeker Sauvignon Blanc 2020/$8-$15

This New Zealand sauvignon blanc offers quality you won’t find in its supermarket cousins

While we’re waiting for the New Zealand wine apocalypse to strike, the Wine Curmudgeon offers this: The Seeker Sauvignon Blanc 2020 ($12, purchased, 13%).

This white is part of a brand that features wines from around the world, and just not from one country or region. This is something that had been common before the recession, but has fallen out favor in the past decade. That means Seeker labels include riesling from Germany, rose from France, and so forth. The idea is that the producer can find wines that offer value, put its label on them, and offer something that others can’t – without being hamstrung by appellation.

Which works with the sauvignon blanc. This is a surprisingly nuanced New Zealand sauvignon blanc, and we know how difficult that is to find. In this case, that means not too much grapefruit, plus a pleasant bit of tropical in the middle, and the usual clean, crisp finish. Much, much better done than most Kiwi sauvignon blancs at this price.

Highly recommended, and just the white wine to keep around the house when the need for a quality, but inexpensive, white arises.

Imported by Kobrand

Mini-reviews 153: Tannat, Rioja, and two sauvignon blancs

wine demandReviews of wines that don’t need their own post, but are worth noting for one reason or another. This month, cleaning out the wine closet to start the new year.

• Marichal Tannat Reserve Collection 2018 ($20, sample, 13%): Well made tannat from Uruguay — softer, which with tannat is a good thing; more dark fruit and less tannic. Price is problematical. Imported by Global Vineyard Importers

• Bilbao Rioja Crianza 2017 ($20, sample, 14.5%): There’s nothing really wrong with this Spanish tempranillo, though it’s a bit less subtle than classic Rioja. There’s nothing to make it stand out, either – and $20? Imported by Zamora Company

• The Goose Sauvignon Blanc 2017 ($12, purchased, 13%): This is a stunning South African sauvignon blanc that has just enough French style — almost flinty — to go with New World citrus fruit. How it aged this well is beyond me – highly recommended. So what’s the catch? It will be almost impossible to find, which seems to be how the wine world works, isn’t it? Imported by IM Premium Imports

• Castle Rock Sauvignon Blanc 2020 ($10, sample, 13%): Supermarket sauvignon blanc, made to hit the $10 price and not necessarily because it tastes like California sauvignon blanc. Almost bitter, some lemongrass, some minerality.

Mini-reviews 152: The night before Christmas Eve Edition

rudolph
Not even the WC is clever enough to turn wine shipping holders into Rudolph — and I certainly get enough of them.

Reviews of wines that don’t need their own post, but are worth noting for one reason or another. This month, a day early because of Christmas.

• Cline Sauvignon Blanc 2019 ($14, purchased, 14%): I’m not sure what this tastes like (Italian pinot grigio, maybe?), but it certainly doesn’t taste like California sauvignon blanc. Plus, the higher alcohol is noticeable and the bottle is way too heavy — 22 ounces, or about one-third more than it needs to be. And Cline was once a top-notch $10 wine producer.

• Ricardo Santos El Malbec 2019 ($20, sample, 13.5%): Interesting approach to Argentine malbec — some oak, some spice, much less fruity and made to age, more in the style of Bordeaux. Imported by Global Vineyard Importers

• Textbook Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 ($30, sample, 13.3%): This, I suppose, is what passes for entry-level Napa cabernet these days. Professionally made, hitting all the notes it’s supposed to hit (rich, dark berries, some oak, some spice, leaning toward fruit over acid and tannins), and made with quality grapes. But a value? Only if you really like Napa cabernet.

• Satellite Sauvignon Blanc 2020 ($13, purchased, 13$): New Zealand white is the second label from highly-regarded Spy Valley, and it sits about halfway between that and all those supermarket “Bay” sauvignon blancs. That means less overtly grapefruit, but still citrusy, but a little softer and more tropical in the middle. Imported by Broadbent Wines

Photo: “Rudolph the Wine Holder” by edenpictures is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Wine of the week: Cono Sur Sauvignon Blanc 2021

Cono Sur sauvignon blanc
Cono Sur Sauvignon Blanc 2021/$10-$14

This organic Chilean white brings back memories of the country’s great cheap sauvingon blancs

Too much organic wine tastes like supermarket plonk, but its producers figure that’s OK because it’s organic.

No, it’s not – and the Cono Sur Sauvignon Blanc 2021 ($12, sample, 12.5%) shows why. In other words, it’s a great cheap wine that happens to be organic, which is the goal all should aspire to.

This is a Chilean sauvignon blanc that hearkens to the great days of Chilean sauvignon blanc, when I drank Veramonte by the case and it seemed like almost every Chilean sauvignon blanc was worth buying. So what makes the Cono Sur so enjoyable?

• It’s not as minerally as a French sauvignon blanc, not as grapefruty as a New Zealand, and not as rich as a Californian. Hence, strictly Chilean.

• Almost lime fruit, but not so citrusy as to be off putting.

• Very clean and crisp, with a long, not quite stony finish.

Highly recommended, and a candidate for the 2022 $10 Hall of Fame. Drink it chilled on its own or even with Thanksgiving turkey.

Imported by Pacific Bay