The Summer of Sauvignon Blanc

At the beginning of the summer, I received 20 Sauvignon Blancs as samples in the space of two weeks. It was somewhat overwhelming, and it was impossible to try a different grilled seafood/roasted chicken/salad/pasta course every night for 20 nights. So I don't have details on food here, but I'm sharing the abbreviated notes.

First up is the representative from Octavin... I like this packaging option and the idea of using established producers rather than just making random boxes of red/white/pink.

2009 Silver Birch Sauvignon Blanc
Marlborough, New Zealand
$24/3 litre box, 13% abv

Overripe white raspberries, green apples, and pineapple. (Gooseberry is probably a more accurate representation, but I've never personally eaten one.) At colder temperatures the acidity flattens out, but as it warms up it becomes increasingly tart. Dry but very fruity. Definitely keep this in mind for a party or if you're making a big batch of tangy white Sangria.

2008 Brancott Letter Series 'B' Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
Marlborough, New Zealand
Organic, light citrus, classic. Elements of grapefruit with some stone and earthiness in there as it comes to room temperature. Brancott is one of the first Sauvignon Blancs I really noticed and loved, and they've been a reliable producer over the years. Throw this in the fridge and prepare a spicy seafood pasta dish, you'll love it.

And now here's a quick look at the Chilean wines from a Wines of Chile tasting earlier this summer. We tried eight but one was a damaged bottle, and thus not reviewed here. Over 50 bloggers participated in this tasting, which involved a live video feed, online chat, Twitter, and Facebook. There is a lot of material out there on this tasting, and if you need more details I'd recommend the outstanding writeup at Bottle Report.

2009 Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc
$11, 13.5% abv
Grapefruit peel, tart acidity, slightly rough mouthfeel.

2009 Undurraga T.H. Sauvignon Blanc
$16, 13.5% abv
Overripe grapefruit, little herbal

2009 Cono Sur Sauvignon Blanc
$13, 13.5% abv
Organic, light, mild

2009 Cool Coast Casa Silva Sauvignon Blanc
$23, 13.5% abv
Crisp and lemon curd

2009 Ventesquerio Sauvignon Blanc
$18, 13.5% abv
Mineral, grapefruit rind

2009 Valdivieso Sauvignon Blancc
$22, 14% abv
Big, round, and fruity, apricot, peaches, excellent.

2009 Medalla Real Sauvignon Blanc
$20, 13.5% abv
Great tart grapefruit, short finish, bitter finish


Note: These wines were received as samples.