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Sauvignon Republic Marlborough Blanc 2006

A group of enterprising friends comprised of Winemakers John Buechsenstein and Paul Dolan plus restaurant and culinary experts John Ash and Tom Meyer have found an attractive vehicle for marketing their collective favorite white wine variety. Sauvignon Republic Cellars now has three labels: Marlborough New Zealand, Stellenbosch South Africa, and Russian River Valley California.

These guys appreciate the variations you can get when you go around the world looking for Sauvignon Blanc. I agree and think they're onto something and am hoping they also bottle some wine from France and as well as the Columbia Valley in the future.

Excellent value ($18). Closure: Screw cap. Alcohol content: 13%.

Style: Citrus-y, a bit tropical, a bit green, un-wooded, very tart and dry.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Pale straw with a greenish tint. Aromas: Gooseberry, passionfruit, celery and green herbs. The tart acidity is in high gear, providing an overall intense Marlborough experience and a shrilling finish.

Comment: Pucker up buttercup.

Root:1 Casablanca Sauvignon Blanc 2006

The Casablanca Valley is the source for this outstanding blanca de la casa. The story of Root:1 is that all the fruit is grown on ungrafted vines. Phylloxera has not stricken Chile like it has France, California and most other areas of the world, so grafting onto native resistant rootstock is uncommon there. Does that make the wine more pure? Not necessarily, but it makes for good wine conversation.

A lot of us are tired of Chardonnay and some us are so bored with it that we drink it from 3 liter boxes. We want to be refreshed, reinvigorated with something new. We want something good and expressive, and we don't want to spend too much. Importer Click Wine Group has done it again with this fresh and edgy wild white that rivals the best of France for a meager price.

Excellent value ($11). Closure: Screw cap. Alcohol content: 13.1%.

Style: Tart, unoaked, green, minerally, approaching shrill.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Pale straw with a greenish tint. Aromas: Gooseberry, grapefruit, lime, with background notes of asparagus and flint. The lively tart and definitely not sweet lime rind, grassy and minerally flavors dance into the finish "as time goes by".

Comment: "You must remember this: A kiss is still a kiss".

Armand Roux Verdillac Sauvignon Blanc 2005

This simply elegant and really affordable Bordeaux Blanc sports a change to its label with the 2005 vintage, namely the addition of the words "Sauvignon Blanc". All White Bordeaux is composed of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon so this addition just clarifies the matter. Verdillac is typically 70+% Sauvignon Blanc.

Excellent value ($10). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 11.5%.

Style: Light, elegant, minerally, crisp.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Pale golden straw. Aromas: Elegant melon, lemon and wafts of cold blossoms and green herbs. Light-bodied and softly textured, showing just a slight touch of sweetness on the palate, the lemon-lime, green apple and mineral flavors finish crisp, tart and refreshing.

Comment: Pair it with salade de poulet (chicken salad).

Sebeka Western Cape Sauvignon Blanc 2006

Following a trend that's long in the tooth, wine giant Gallo is using the Cheetah as their symbol for marketing the new Sebeka line. Everyone is saying the "critter craze" has run its course and we need to move on. But what's a brand manager to do when given the task to come up with a marketing icon for a new $7 South African wine; one that will compete with Yellow Tail?

Evidently Gallo believes heavy marketing and promotion plus an over the top floor display will make this Cheetah hunt. But from an informed wine consumer's point of view it's somewhat of an insult. Animals on labels are still fair game but one needs to be more creative with them and do a better job of connecting the animal, the brand and the wine's story. If South African wine is a bit mysterious, how does hitting us over the head with a cheetah help tell the story?

The name Sebeka is just as superficial and non-explanative. It was recently posited (at Grape.co.za) that "Sebeka in the isiXhosa and isiZulu languages means something that is (has been) stored or laid down", but is seems more likely that Gallo just thought it sounded good. Are they aware that Sebeka is a town in Minnesota, population 710?

Gallo is working with Swartland Winery for the source of wine for the Sebeka brand, using fruit from the Western Cape region north of Cape Town.

Very nice value ($7). Closure: Neocork. Alcohol content: 13.5%.

Style: Crisp, citrusy, grassy, lightly fruity, palate cleansing.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Pale straw. Aromas: Melon, grass, and slight hints of sweet marshmallow and banana that reminds me of a compound flavorists use called "ethyl maltol". The mouthfeel is light and tart, with lemon, green apple and lime rind flavors that finish nicely dry and palate cleansing.

Comment: If you can get past the Cheetah coalition, the price is right on this wild white.

R. H. Phillips Night Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2005

Here's a wine paradox. It's easier to find a great deal on a Chardonnay than a Sauvignon Blanc, even though the latter is much less likely to see any costly oak. Vincor's R. H. Phillips Winery does an admirable job with their Night Harvest Sauvignon Blanc from Dunnigan Hills, delivering a 1.5 Liter bottle at about the 750 ml. price.

Dunnigan Hills is over the Coast Range from Calistoga, some 30 miles East. The climate is warmer during the day so harvest takes place at night.

Excellent value: $13/1.5 Liter. Closure: Plastic cork. Alcohol content: 12.5%.

Style: Vibrant, citrusy, crisp and light.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Pale golden straw. Aromas: Quince, lime, cold blossoms, sage/grass. Light-bodied and nicely tart, the citrusy herbal flavors are refreshing in the clean dry finish which also shows a slight glint of flint.

Comment: Two for the price of one plus a dollar.

Craggy Range Te Muna Road Sauvignon Blanc 2005

Wildly urbane would better describe this wild white than truly wild as many a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc tends to be. Like many genuinely created wines, this one is an accurate reflection of the visionaries behind it, as well as the place it comes from.

Craggy Range is named for the small mountains in view of the Giants Winery facility, the impressive winemaking studio and gallery built to showcase the best of the Gimblett Gravels region in Hawkes Bay New Zealand. The venture known as Craggy Range is only about 10 years old, started by businessman Terry Peabody and his wife Mary-Jeanne and acclaimed Master of Wine Steve Smith. They have spent enormous sums to see their vision of a world class winery take shape, and it shows.

The Te Muna Road Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc blocks are located in a recently created gravel plateau (in the floods of 1876) which was almost given over to quarry duty. But to the astute winegrowers' eye it turned out to be perfect for its newfound purpose. Ti Muna translates to "secret place".

Adrian Baker is credited with making this wine, working under Rod Easthope who focuses more on the Bordeaux reds.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Very pale straw. Aromas: Candied lime, green apple, and hints of honeyed apricot, quince and flint. Zesty light, sweet and tart, then dry and clean, the lime, grapefruit, downplayed passionfruit and amply minerally notes play into an electric minimalist finish.

Excellent value ($18). Closure: Screw cap. Alcohol content: 13%

Alder Yarrow of Wine Blog Vinography visited Craggy Range in January 2007 and his review is good reading as well as a good planning tool for a visit.

Silver Beach Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2006

The beautiful but extremely quiet label belies the underlying generously wild tropical nature of this new New Zealander.

Spy Valley's Ant Mackenzie is the winemaker for Silver Beach Sauvignon Blanc 2006.  The fruit was sourced from Johnson Estate's vineyards in Wairau Valley on the terraces of the Omaka River.

Tasting Notes: Color: Light straw.  Aromas: Somewhat tropical for a Marlborough, with ripe pear and apricot joining the expected passionfruit and grapefruit nose.  The mouthfeel is light-bodied tart and dry.  Grapefruit, celery and starfruit flavors are plentiful in the refreshing finish.

Excellent value ($13).  Closure: Screw cap.  Alcohol content: 13.5%.

Kim Crawford Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2006

Wake up your nose.  The 2006 Kim Crawford Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc has arrived, and it is very forward, showing lots of New Zealand zeal this year.

Tasting Notes: Color: Pale straw, slightly greenish.  Aromas: Abundant tropical passionfruit with green celery, lemon and starfruit.  On the tongue, the body is light, tart approaching shrill, and there's plenty of grapefruit, green apple and gooseberry flavors that finish crisp and very dry.

Outstanding value ($11, on sale).  Closure: Screw cap.  Alcohol content: 13%

Kim Crawford is owned by Vincor, under the same umbrella with Toasted Head, Hogue and Jackson-Triggs.

Winewaves recommended the 2005 and 2004 vintages of Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc.

Girard Napa Sauvignon Blanc 2005

There is no more affordable way to sample high-end Napa Valley wine than to go for a big, intense, racy Sauvignon Blanc.  Girard Winemaker Marco DiGiulio delivers one of the best.

Girard Napa Sauvignon Blanc 2005 is 100% varietal, sourced from Morgan Ranch and two more Napa vineyards, fermented in stainless steel and not allowed to undergo malolactic fermentation.  7200 cases were produced.

Tasting Notes: Color: Pale straw, slightly greenish.  Aromas: Melon, pear, citrus zest, plus background notes of cold blossoms and flint.  Surprisingly fleshy, the intense display of melon and grapefruit flavors and bracing acidity finishes clean, teasing your appetite.

Excellent value ($16).  Closure: Real cork.  Alcohol content: 13.5%.

Food pairing: Thanksgiving apperitif.

Dancing Bull Sauvignon Blanc 2005

Dancing Bull* is owned by E&J Gallo Winery, the largest U.S. wine company (2005 figures).  Mass produced, yes, but everything is right about this racy California Sauvignon Blanc.  The wine is more distinctive than you expect, the package sings with its new screw cap, and the price is right.

The composition of Dancing Bull Sauvignon Blanc 2005 is 94+% Sauvignon Blanc, with added Semillon, sourced from Central Coast (about 3/4) and North Coast (about 1/4).

Tasting Notes: Color: Light straw with a slight greenish tint.  Aromas: Starfruit and ripe pear.  Juicy, light-bodied, tart and lively on the tongue, the grapefruit and starfruit flavors are refreshing if not almost "shrill" on the dry finish.

Outstanding value ($8).   Closure: Screw cap.   Alcohol content: 13.2%.

Food Pairing: Home baked thin crust pizza or classic as an apperitif.

*Dancing Bull was previously part of the Rancho Zabaco label, but Gallo has dropped the Zabaco from the Bull label altogether believing it now stands alone.