Ignore the haters, Sauvignon Blanc is the wine to care about this spring, says Libby Brodie
I am not alone in being perplexed by the weather right now. Sunshine and blue skies have us donning sunglasses one moment, wondering if we even need a coat, only for the sky to darken amid hailstorms minutes later. Despite appearances, it is now May, and we are in the throes of Spring. Seasonally driven menus are touting the glories of artichokes, rhubarb and asparagus and it is the perfect time to seek out fresh, zippy wines to match those ripe spring vegetables.
One of the most beloved grapes for such qualities is Sauvignon Blanc. Wildly popular in the ‘90s and’00s, such an influx inevitably led to a backlash and some snobbery in wine circles, but Sauvignon has continued to charm the world in all its manifestations. One of the things I love most about this wine is that, though it can take on different guises depending on where it is grown, at its core there is something so recognisable about it. This is a grape that stays true to itself, even while experimenting with different styles of dress up. It is always touched by an intrinsic fresh essence of green – be it the cool, cut grass tones of a crisp Sancerre or the riotous starburst-on-the-tongue of gooseberry and lime zest from New Zealand.
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It is a grape I would wager anyone who has tried wine has sampled and for some it can be near life-changing. Oz Clarke, one of the most poetically loquacious chaps in wine, described the first time he tasted a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand as changing his world of wine forever, “there had never before been a wine that crackled and spit its flavours at you from the glass”. I have written before of the iconic rise of Marlborough: this New World wine is all vibrancy and, though many winemakers have attempted to tone down the gooseberry flavours that typified them previously, there always remains a wild riot of tropical fruits and zest.
Unafraid to experiment even with their golden child, winemakers here are aging in oak or using extended lees contact to give weight, structure, and a hint of sophistication to their wines, like the fantastic Hunter’s Marlborough 2023 I tried recently (£13.95 Jeraboams). Chile has also adopted this versatile grape, my favourite examples taking advantage of the Chilean sun but planting in areas like the Aconcagua region, with its cooling Pacific sea breezes, to quieten some of those sunshine driven tropical flavours. Errazuriz Estate Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2022 (£11.50, Tesco) still lilts into the tropics but driven by green apples and leafy herbs. It treads the line between New and Old world elegantly.
Sauvignon Blanc’s spiritual home is France, however, where it has for Centuries delighted as Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume in the fairy-tale Loire, with its hilltop chateaus looking out over the wide, winding river. Both wines are fresh, underpinned with a bright citrus acidity and that greenness again, but there are definite nuances that distinguish them. Sancerre tends to be leaner and steelier, typically a more youthful wine with those green-grass notes. Pouilly-Fumé is the slightly rounder, softer cousin with a touch more gravitas. It can have a beguiling smoky, flinty character to it.
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The delightful Domaine Masson-Blondelet (£16.99, Waitrose) is classic and classy and one of my favourites. Bordeaux, however, is where this grape is believed to have originated. Here White Bordeaux, or Bordeaux Blanc, is most often a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. These wines have that crystalline citrus zest, they are light and fruity and can have nods toward honeysuckle blossom as much as stony minerality. If you come across a richer, weightier version it is likely to be Semillon dominant.
This trooper of a grape doesn’t stop there: carrying us through the main to dessert, Sauvignon makes a deliciously honeyed sweet wine, with Sauternes being one of most revered in the world. We may think we know Sauvignon Blanc but try a few different styles and regions and it still has the ability to surprise, delight and put a ‘Spring’ in our step this season.
