Okay, so my timing for this post is a little weird, given that I was just talking about Twitter Tasting Fatigue in the wake of the #SauvBlanc event. I really did have a fun time at the event, and met some really interesting people around the world, from locations ranging from here in the US to Germany to New Zealand. It was really interesting to see so many people tweeting about a single varietal, and to realize that all of these people had been brought together online by a unique grassroots effort.
I selected two different wines for the event. The first was an American wine from LangeTwins Winery from Lodi California, and the second was a New Zealand wine from Villa Maria from Marlborough. I started the tasting with the LangeTwins Sauvignon Blanc.
The 2008 LangeTwins Sauvignon Blanc runs $13, and about $10 for club members. The alcohol comes in at 13.1%. This wine was provided as a sample by the good folks at LangeTwins
Winery.
The nose on this wine gives aromas of peach, a little coconut and tropical fruits, and some lemon and grapefruit. On the palate, I get some sharp acidity, and a touch of alcohol coming through. There are some hints of minerality and a bit of a green herbal flavor. The finish is long lasting.
Overall, I found this to be a decent Sauvignon Blanc, but I found the palate to be a bit too sharp, and slightly hot. This does seem to be a well made wine, and it does seem to improve with a little air. I really think that this is a wine that needs a little food to cut through the acidity. At $13, I certainly wouldn't have a problem purchasing this wine, and I think that it would be a great wine to pick up for a dinner party.
Final Grade (1-5)
Legend
- Skip
it Meh
Worth a Try
Give it a Go
Run
Get Some
The 2009 Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc cost me $15 at a local liquor store. This wine comes in right at 13% alcohol.
The nose on the Villa Maria is an intriguing mix of staw, hints of bell pepper, and I was even getting some asparagus, just a slight bit of the cat pee aroma that you can sometimes find in Sauv Blanc. On the palate, I find this to be an extremely balanced wine, with nice acidity. I get some grapefruit, as well as some tropical flavors, and something that I can't really identify. The tasting notes mention gooseberry, which I have never had before, so maybe that's what I'm picking up.
The defining characteristic of this wine for me is the balance that it shows. I really enjoyed this wine, and found it to be a complex Sauvignon Blanc. I am a big fan of New Zealand Sauv Blans, and this is certainly a new one that I will be adding to my repertoire. I will definitely buy this wine again, and I find it to be a great value at $15.
Final Grade (1-5)
Legend
- Skip
it Meh
Worth a Try
Give it a Go
Run
Get Some
The Lange Twins nose sounds a lot like the Desert Wind Winery that I had. Very tropical.
My favorite part of the event was seeing the hundreds of people participating and tasting the difference between two regions. I’m always amazed that the same grape tastes completely different in various parts of the world (or even state). It is what makes wine tasting fun and challenging.
So what I gather from this post is you like the smell of cat pee.
Josh
Everybody knocks the “cat pee” thing. Sort of like when I get “freshly killed deer”, people look at me like I’m some sort of redneck or something. And FYI: Alexander Valley Vineyards Temptation Zin has the most distinct “freshly killed deer” nose out there (don’t recall the vintage). This was not a paid endorsement by AVV, no matter what it seems. Their marketing execs probably don’t cotton to their wine being described as hunters’ quarry.
You know, I don’t mind the “cat pee” in Sauv Blanc, as long as it’s not overwhelming. This one wasn’t. To be honest, I have never had cats, so I only know to identify it as that because I can guess at what people are talking about.
Josh, I also thought that it was really cool getting to put the NZ Sauv Blanc next to CA version. Saw other people including Loire Valley wines in their tastings. It was a lot of fun to compare and contrast.
Hey Ben – good post.
I completely missed #SauvBlanc…MIA due to being way too busy for my own good!
I can definitely see what your saying on our SB – most of our wines are meant to pair with food, as our Winemaker is a restaurateur (School St. Bistro here in Lodi) and the SB is no exception.
I’ve found that the 2008 vintage, compared to the 2007 SB, is much more citrusy/lemony and more acidic.
Thanks again for the post – keep tastin!
Joe.
Thanks for the comment Joe. I understand about missing the #savublanc event due to other stuff going on, as you remember I missed tasting one of your wines during the #CaliCabs event for the same reason.
I can definitely appreciate a wine intended to go with food. One of the best things about wine is its ability to improve food, and be improved by it.
One of the things that I love about Sauvignon Blanc is the citrus and acidic characteristics, which your wine definitely had. Glad that I was able to try it, and especially enjoyed trying it next to one from NZ. I actually have not been a big fan of a lot of the CA Sauv Blanc that I’ve had, so yours was one of the better ones that I’ve tried.
Hi Ben,
I agree – The Villa Maria SB definitely rocks! It’s one of my favorite value white wines year after year. Call it cat pee, call it SB, call it whatever you like – just call it a great value for under $15 like you just did my friend! Glad to hear that you enjoyed it!
Interesting comments…………I think you need to try some other NZ Sauvignon Blancs from different regions and not just Marlborough savs. I am not a huge fan of Marlborough Savs myself, I find them too green and grassy and a little too dry on the finish, I prefer the more fruit driven tropical notes with clean crisp citrus finish. My sauvignon blanc (09 Milcrest Estate SB) is made in this style and it is becoming really popular in New Zealand, particularly in Nelson where it is made. There is a point of difference developing which allows this type of SB to be drunk anytime with or without food. If you would like to try one of mine I will try and get one to you or you could pop over to NZ and have one at my cellar door ha. We hope to be exporting to USA this year if we can find a suitable distributor.
Hi Terry, I would love to try some NZ Sauv Blancs from different regions. I enjoy the Marlborough SB, but I can certainly understand what you are saying about the greenness. If we can figure out a way, I would love to try one of your SB wines. It will probably be a while before I can manage to find my way out to NZ though.
I have officially decided that I need to expand my NZ wine knowledge and experience. I had someone on Facebook say some really similar things to what you are telling me here. I’m always up for an education.