Mulderbosch, Western Cape, Sauvignon Blanc 2008 The nose features minerality and green herbs. In the mouth this Sauvignon is as zippy as usual, green, acidic and quite refreshing. P&B in Stellenbosch 12.5% purchased for $15.99 at Bottle Barn Mulderbosch

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Robledo, Lake County, Sauvignon Blanc 2007 This is a delightful Sauvignon.
The nose sports citrus and floral notes. In the mouth the wine is clean and vibrantly citrussy with a pleasant acidic zip. Produced and bottled in Kelseyville 14.3% $20 at the winery, a gift from a friend.
Robledo Family Vineyards

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Brassfield Estate, High Valley, High Serenity Ranch, Estate Bottled, Sauvignon Blanc 2007 Give this a little air to allow the fruity aromatics to come to the fore. Then you’ll find pineapple and lemon laced with crushed green herbs. The mouth features a soft profile with moderate concentration.
The grapes behind this wine include 13.5% Semillon and [...]

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Domaine Vacheron, Sancerre 2008 The nose sports minerality and lime. In the mouth you’ll find concentrated citrus, a sense of austerity, a very dry wine with overt minerality – very nice and very long. The only thing missing is the chevre.
The family tends 29 hectares of Sauvignon biodynamically. Produced in Sancerre 13% purchased for [...]

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Saint Clair,  Marlborough, Vicar’s Choice, Sauvignon Blanc 2008 In the nose you’ll find apricot and green pepper spiced up with floral notes. In the mouth the acidity is vibrant and the body light with a bit of petillance – a nice refresher.

Vicar’s Range is positioned as the family’s lifestyle range emphasizing value for money. Owned [...]

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I hope you don’t think that I’m on the payroll at Trione ’cause here is another review of a super wine. At the Chronicle judges’ dinner last week we were each given a gift-wrapped bottle of a wine to take home after dinner.
That meant that between Linda and I we had scored two bottles of [...]

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Peterson, Dry Creek Valley, Timbercrest Farms, Sauvignon Blanc 2008 During my visit at Peterson earlier in 2009 I was enamored with the ‘08 Sauvignon and purchased a case. In May I wrote the following post: This wine is vibrant with citrus and accentuated by oakiness.
I often mention to my classes the pleasure and trepidation in [...]

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This flight provides a nice contrast of Sauvignon styles. You have the same winery, same county, same grape, same vintage, 2 vineyards and 2 takes on how to handle this grape in the winery. Both are great but as you’ll see in the notes, you might gravitate to one style or the other depending upon [...]

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This summer we had the opportunity to meet with winemaker Dave Galzignato. Our visit took us from Krug’s historical position in the Napa Valley to its modern incarnation, using a new sorting table to isolate the best of the best fruit, from vineyards that the family has seemingly owned forever.
This is the care that we [...]

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hazard hill, Western Australia, semillon sauvignon Blanc 2008 Breezy and fresh, this wine shows grass and citrus in the nose. In the mouth it is crisp and clean, with concentrated flavors of lime and lime zest and a little petilance for lift – very nice.
The grapes behind this wine are 51% Semillon and 49% Sauvignon [...]

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This fall we visited Robert Mondavi with our Napa Valley class. We regained a sense of the historical significance of this winery and its founder while tasting some beautiful wines. Here is a look at their trademark Fumes from the ‘07 vintage.
Robert Mondavi, Napa Valley, Fume Blanc 2007 In the nose you’ll find lots of [...]

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Rutherford Grove, Napa Valley, Rutherford, Estate, Sauvignon Blanc 2007 Give this a little about 20 minutes of air when you open it to blow off a bit of reductive character. After that a light sense of citrus will come through. In the mouth this is a very creamy Sauvignon Blanc, feeling lowish in acidity.
The wine [...]

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Rancho Zabaco, Russian River, Reserve, Sauvignon Blanc 2007 There’s a nice spot of grassiness in the nose, with green peppers and grapefruit zest. In the mouth the grapefruit comes through with a nice level of refreshing acidity. Produced & bottled in Healdsburg 13.9% $18 suggested retail, a gift to the class from the SFCWC
Rancho Zabaco [...]

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Folie a Deux, Napa Valley, Sauvignon Blanc 2007 This is a Sauvignon that smells quite pretty, blending flowers with citrus fruits. In the mouth the citrus story continues, with some thickness and a little viscosity – nice. The grapes are all Sauvignon and the winemaking was all in stainless steel. Produced and bottled in [...]

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Napa Cellars, Napa Valley, Sauvignon Blanc 2007 This Sauvignon is clean, moderately concentrated, laser-like with acidity and has a touch of creaminess. 5% of the grapes are Semillon and the fruit was sourced from Calistoga, St. Helena and Rutherford. Malolactic was suppressed and the wine was made entirely in stainless. Vinted and bottled in St. [...]

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Chateau Sainte Eulalie, Vin de Pays d’Oc, Le Blanc d ‘Eulalie, Sauvignon 2007 Unfortunately this wine has developed too much volatility. It was stoppered with a very hard synthetic cork, so perhaps that allowed the ingress of too much oxygen.  Perhaps the wine was stunning when first released but that we cannot tell and I [...]

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Dry Creek Vineyard, Sonoma County, Fume Blanc 2008 This Sauvignon is light and steely, smelling of freshly cut oranges and crisp with acidity. It is a regular favorite, garnering awards annually at the Sonoma County Harvest Fair. Production is all stainless. 13.5% $9.99 purchased at Bottle Barn Dry Creek Vineyard

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Matanzas Creek, Sonoma County, Sauvignon Blanc 2007 In the nose you’ll find citrus, lemon, lemon zest and green herbs. In the mouth the citrus comes through, with a commensurate dose of acidity, as well as a roundness and depth of flavor – nice.
21% of the wine was fermented in French oak, 2% of which was [...]

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Merryvale, Napa Valley, Starmont, Sauvignon Blanc 2008 There is a bright sense of satsuma and grapefruit through and through with a nice touch of capsicum. The wine is crisp, with a little petillance, very fresh and very long – nice. 4% Semillon augments the Sauvignon and 70% of the wine was fermented in French oak, [...]

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Chateau Raymond-Lafon, Sauternes 2004 In the nose you’ll find honey and tropical fruit with appropriate volatility. In the mouth it is caramel, long lasting caramel, silky and balanced by lemony acidity. Planted 80% Semillon and 20% Sauvignon. The Famille Meslier is Pierre et Charles-Henri Meslier, Proprietaire a Sauternes 13.5%, purchased for $37.99 (375ml) at Bottle [...]

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Sylvain Bailly, Sancerre, Terroirs 2008 The nose features the classic characteristic; there is lemon, pi pi de chat and grass. In the mouth the wine is crisp and mineral driven – spot on.Mis a Bue in Cher 12.5% $19.99 at Bottle Barn

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Appellation St. Helena hosted a tasting on Tuesday to show off the wines of the AVA. We discussed the recent vintages and tasted 48 wines, with a strong emphasis on Cabernet Sauvignon. Below is a baker’s dozen, the stars of the tasting – great Cabernet but more, including Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel. The post [...]

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The Seventy-Five Wine Company, Napa Valley, Sauvignon Blanc 2007 The nose on this wine packs some punch. Give it a bit of air to blow off the reductive character and then you can focus on the gooseberries, freshly mown grass and citrus. In the mouth it is quite concentrated and acidic, as well as very [...]

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Mill Creek, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, Estate Vineyard, Sauvignon Blanc 2008 The nose shows off notes of citrus and tropical fruits like banana. In the mouth it is full of orange and grapefuit,with plenty of acidity and a little warmth. Grown, produced and bottled in Healdsburg 14.5% alcohol, purchased for $13.99 at Bottle Barn
Mill [...]

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Chatom Vineyards, Calaveras County, Sauvignon Blanc 2007 In the nose this Sauvignon features flowers and green herbs while in the mouth it is soft and viscous. Grown, produced and bottled in Douglas Flat 14.8% $16  at the winery, a gift from the SFCWC Chatom Vineyards

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Husch, Mendocino, Renegade, Sauvignon Blanc 2007 This is a rounder style of Sauvignon with the enhancement of oak. The wine takes its name from the ‘renegade’ yeasts that are allowed to ply their craft without the help of their cultured cousins. The grapes are a special selection from the family’s La Ribera Vineyards. The wine [...]

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Pomelo, California, Sauvignon Blanc 2008 The nose sports citrus and freshly mown grass. In the mouth you’ll find lemon with a sense of both its juice and pith. The wine is soft, clean and light with a bit of petillance and moderate acidity. Produced and bottled by Mason Cellars in Oakville.
Mason has made delightful Sauvignons [...]

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Scheid Vineyards, Monterey, Estate Grown, Sauvignon Blanc 2007 This wine features a nice burst of grapefruit, moderate concentration and a little warmth. 90% of the wine was produced in stainless while the remaining 10% was aged in three year-old French oak barrels.
Estate grown, produced and bottled in Greenfield 13.5% $18 at the winery and a [...]

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Bell, Lake County, Sauvignon Blanc 2007 This wine speaks of grapefruit, crisp and refreshing. The grapes are all Sauvignon Blanc grown in the Rosenthal Vineyard in southern Lake. The wine was made exclusively in stainless. Cellared and bottled in Yountville 12.5% $15 at the winery though now sold out, a gift to the class from [...]

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Owl Ridge, Sonoma County, Sauvignon Blanc 2008 This was of course the big winner at the Harvest Fair in 2009, the White Sweepstake winner. There’s a nice combo of fresh fruit and the herbacesous side of SB in this wine. In the mouth it is crisp, yet not austere, with a little roundness  to the [...]

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