Tasting Notes

BC GUILD OF WINE JUDGES
April 2017 – OTHER DRY WHITE

What To Look For in this Flight
The C4 Class – Other Dry Whites – is a large category in BCAWA competitions. Sauvignon Blanc is a popular wine made by BCAWA members who use grapes generally from the Okanagan, Washington and California. The wines in this month’s flight are all Sauvignon Blanc and were chosen to highlight the varietal characteristics of maritime climate wines. Wines included in this flight range from Gold to no medal, there is one duplicate and no faulty wines.

The notes for the tasting session were originally prepared by Rik Leaf for the November 2015 tasting session of other Dry Whites. The information on Chenin Blanc has been removed as the focus of this tasting is Sauvignon Blanc.

From the Level 1 BCGWJ Training Course prepared by Rick Homer and Axel Kroitzsch:

“Introduction to Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is a white wine that owes much of its popularity to winemakers in Bordeaux and the Loire Valley in France. The Sauvignon Blanc taste is very different from other white wines, like Chardonnay, because of its green and herbaceous flavors. The name Sauvignon Blanc means “Wild White” and the grape is related to Traminer with origins in the South of France. Sauvignon Blanc is one of the most widely planted wine grapes in the world and because of this it has a wide range of styles from ice wines to dry white table wines. As a dry white table wine it is a very versatile wine for food pairing.

The primary fruit flavors of Sauvignon Blanc are lime, green apple, passion fruit and white peach. Depending on how ripe the grapes are when the wine is made, the flavor will range from zesty lime to flowery peach. What makes Sauvignon Blanc unique from other white wines are its other herbaceous flavors like bell pepper, jalapeño, gooseberry and grass. These flavors come from aromatic compounds called pyrazines and are the secret to Sauvignon Blanc’s taste.”

After reading these notes you should know:
1. BCAWA’s definition of “Class C4 – Other Dry White”;
2. Which region of France is known for growing top quality Sauvignon Blanc;
3. Which wine growing region is a leader in producing New World style of Sauvignon Blanc;
4. How Sauvignon Blanc produced in Malborough differs from the Loire Valley;
5. Differences most often used to differentiate Old World and New World styles;
6. Distinct aromas and flavours.


Class C4. Other Dry White
This class contains all other white wines, either varietals or blends, which do not fit the descriptions of Classes C1 (Chardonnay), C5 (White Pinot), or C2 (Aromatic White Vinifera). A white wine to be consumed with food.

Varietal vinifera wines in this class must contain 85% or more of vinifera varieties such as Auxerrois, Chasselas, Chenin blanc, Colombard, Grűner Veltliner, Madeleine Angevine, Sauvignon blanc, Semillon, or Trebbiano. The remaining 15% may be any ingredient. Blends in this class must not fit the definitions of C1, C5, or C2. Wines that include interspecific hybrid grapes are acceptable in this class and their ingredient percentages must be specified so their eligibility in the appropriate AWC class can be determined.

Aromatic white grape varieties are acceptable in blends provided their impact is subdued. Non-grape dry white table wines belong in either this class or J1 (Country Table).

Technical Characteristics:
Alcohol: 9% – 13.5%.
Colour: Pale bronze or bronze-pink to pale straw to light gold. No amber, brown or grey tinges.
Sugar: 0.0% – 1.5%.
Specific Gravity: 0.990 – 0.998.
Acidity: 6.0g/L – 7.5g/L.
pH: 3.0 – 3.7.

SAUVIGNON BLANC – Old World Style (France)

Info on grape – Sauvignon Blanc is one of the 7 noble grape varieties. It’s responsible for some of the most aromatic dry white wines in the world, famously produced in the Loire Valley in Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé.

Where it’s from – In Bordeaux, Sauvignon Blanc is the one exception to the generalization that all Bordeaux wines are blends, though many consider the Loire to produce the purest, unadulterated representation.

World-class Sauvignon Blanc’s is produced in the upper Loire, particularly from Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. The best examples are drier, denser and slower-maturing than most New World Sauvignon Blanc, and genuinely express terroir with nuances dependent on the proportion of gravel and flint in the soil.

For the value conscious consumer, some of France’s best-value Sauvignon Blanc is made in the Loire’s less famous appellations. Sauvignon from the Touraine appellation can be great, as often as Sancerre or Pouilly Fumé. Look for Sauvignon Blanc from three small appellations just west of Sancerre – Menetou-Salon, Reuilly and Quincy.

Terroir – Limestone, chalky, well-drained stony vineyards of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé produce a light, steely, racy aromatic white wine.

History of Wine – In 1997 DNA profiling established that Sauvignon Blanc along with Cabernet Franc were the parents of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Techniques in Production – Sauvignon Blanc vines are very vigorous. If they get out of hand, the grapes don’t reach full maturity, which leaves the wine too herbaceous. Generally Sauvignon Blanc is vinified in a way that avoids accentuating any excessive herbaceous character. Fermentation temperatures are not too low, and fermentation may take place in old oak. The result is a more restrained style of wine than those produced in New Zealand.

Typical aromas and flavours – Typically Sauvignon Blanc has a pronounced aromatic intensity that includes grassy, herbaceous, green fruits, gooseberries and nettles.

Relevant Facts – Almost all unblended, unoaked Sauvignon Blanc is meant to be enjoyed when it’s young. The wines are in general designed to be drunk as young as possible, although some of the fruit from particularly low-yielding vineyards can be concentrated to withstand oak ageing and may need a year or so in bottle before showing their best.

SAUVIGNON BLANC – New World Style (New Zealand)

Info on grape – Sauvignon Blanc is the variety that established New Zealand’s international reputation and accounts for just over 50% of all plantings.

Terroir – Cool to moderate temperatures, intense sunshine and large diurnal range (the variation in temperature between highs and lows during the day) allow grapes in New Zealand to reach high levels of sugar ripeness while retaining acidity and fresh, intense aromatic flavours.

History of Wine – New Zealand has a cool Maritime climate very similar to Bordeaux.
They credit missionaries with the first plantings, and Reverend Samuel Marsden for producing the first wine in the region.

Techniques in Production – Extremely vigorous Sauvignon Blanc vines love the dry gravels of Marlborough’s Wairau Valley. The success of Sauvignon Blanc in New Zealand is due in part to the widespread adoption of canopy management strategies that brought its excessive vine vigor under control. The youthfulness of the industry has produced a very modern mind set towards hygiene, temperature control, anaerobic winemaking and screw caps. (90% of N.Z. wines are closed this way)

Typical aromas and flavours – Intense aromas of capsicum and gooseberry with herbal notes, passionfruit, tomato, a stony minerality and occasionally hints of creamy oak. Better wines are capable of developing asparagus notes with bottle age. N.Z. style is pungent and intensely perfumed with obvious fruitiness a hint of gas and sweetness. A style that is now found in Chile, South Africa and cooler areas of North America

Relevant Facts – New Zealand grows the world’s most southerly grapes. Marlborough is possibly the world’s, Sauvignon capital right now, though producers in the Casablanca Valley may do the same for Chile.

Cloudy Bay is probably the most famous producer, but over the years countless others have popped up. The N.Z. wine industry realizes that there is a risk that all their Sauvignon Blanc could be seen as identical, and have started promoting stylistic variations from region to region and in many sub regions of Marlborough.

New Zealand has been so successful with its pungently herbaceous style of Sauvignon Blanc with the tropical fruit aromas characteristic of a cool, prolonged fermentation, that winemakers throughout the New World, especially in Chile and South Africa are producing in a similar fashion.

Reading Notes prepared by Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Old World Style vs. New World Style
Presented by Rik Leaf November 2015

Additional Notes prepared by Sharon Bierd, April 2017.
2017 – From: http://www.wineanorak.com/iconsauvignonblanc.htm
Slightly simplistically speaking, there are two elements to the flavour of Sauvignon Blanc that are now well understood scientifically. Good Sauvignon typically has a balance between the herbal/green pepper/grassy character (which comes from a group of chemical known as methoxypyrazines, the most significant of which is 3-isobutyl-2-methoxypyrazine [MIPB]) and the riper passion fruit/grapefruit character (which comes from a group of chemicals known as thiols (aka mercaptans, these can also have a ‘sweaty’ character to them at high levels).

Marlborough’s success with Sauvignon is because it manages to combine both these characteristics in ways that other regions have found tricky. If you have too much methoxypyrazine, Sauvignon can taste herbal and unripe. Too much passionfruit character, and it can taste a bit sickly and sweaty. In very warm climates, Sauvignon tends to taste boringly fruity and simple, without the zing that brings it to life.

Loire Sauvignon (Pouilly-Fumé, Sancerre, Touraine Sauvignon) is usually more mineral and less overtly fruity than New Zealand Sauvignon. Bordeaux grows a lot of Sauvignon, where it frequently blended with a bit of Semillon: this can be good value, but often it’s unexciting. High-end Bordeaux whites are usually oaked, so taste quite different. Chile makes some attractive, affordable Sauvignon, particularly from cooler regions such as Leyda and Elqui. These tend to be in the New Zealand style, but with more pronounced green pepper (methoxypyrazine) character. South Africa does quite a bit of Sauvignon, of varying quality, and, again, with more of an emphasis on the green herbal flavours. The best are very good. Austrian Sauvignon Blanc, from the southern Styrian region, is really lively and bright with real personality, but it’s rare to find it.

The following is taken from the University Wine Course – A Wine Appreciation Text and Self-Tutorial that all members of the Guild should have.

Chapter 3 – The Science of Wine Making – White Table Wine Production, there is a good discussion on the relationship between vineyard Factors and Viticultural practices that influence Grassiness in Sauvignon Blanc Grapes and wines.

Page 304 – Varietal Wine Profile: Sauvignon Blanc
Grape Information:
Description: Small clusters; medium-large, greenish berries with tender skin and aromatic flavor; very vigorous yields can be lower on irrigated, fertile soils (2-3 tons per acre) than in conditions which favor less leaf growth and proper trellising (4-6 tons); spring frost can be a problem, susceptible to Botrytis rots.
Yields: Variable, 2-6 tons/acre
Maturity: Early to Mid-September
Preferred Climate: Cooler to warm
1990 Data: 13,400 acres (800 non-bearing); 60,000 tons crushed; $518/ton average price.
Other Important Growing Regions: Sauvignon Blanc is well known both in the Sauternes region of Bordeaux, France, where Botrytis infection can produce fine late-harvest dessert wines, and in the Loire districts of Sancerre and Pouilly-sûr-Loire, where the wines are usually dry. It is also gown in northern Italy, eastern Europe, Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.
Wine Information:
Aroma and Flavor Descriptors: Sauvignon Blanc is described as floral, fruity (citrus, peach, apricot) to vegetative (bell pepper, asparagus), green olive/herbaceous, smoky.
Typical Styles: The name Fumé Blanc is used for dry California Sauvignon Blancs; current styles emphasize fruity rather than herbaceous character; leaf removal in the vineyard reduces herbaceous aromas (and Botrytis rot); some oak fermentation ageing; blends with Sémillon.
Aging Potential: 3 – 5 years or more. Seems less fruity and tart as it ages.
Number of US Producers : 296 in 1990

Baldy, Marian W PHD (Third Edition, 2009) The University Wine Course – A wine Appreciation Text and Self Tutorial