The Sauvignon Blanc, the Non-Chardonnay

Sauvignon Blanc must be the Rodney Dangerfield of grapes; it gets no respect. I was reminded of this sad state of affairs recently.

First, a colleague writing in a paper somewhere to the north of Los Angeles commented that he owed Sauvignon Blanc an apology for all the unkind things he had written about the grape. Turns out he had finally tasted one he liked.

(That attitude is not new, of course. It was not so long ago that a writer in perhaps the best-known wine magazine called upon wineries to stop growing the grape because its wines were uninteresting to his palate. If memory serves, he too later apologized to the grape.)

And then on my recent trips to the East Coast, it seemed that no matter where I went--whether it was a tony restaurant on New York’s Upper East Side or one of Philadelphia’s storied seafood establishments or a very well-regarded Florida restaurant with an otherwise brilliantly constructed wine list--Sauvignon Blanc was nearly nonexistent.

Yet here is a wine whose sole reason for existence seems to be that it is good with food, particularly seafood.

True, Sauvignon Blanc may not be the easiest wine to taste. It is narrower, tighter and less effusive than Chardonnay, and it can be downright nasty if it gets too high in acidity or has too much of the green, grassy, almost stinky qualities that can be part of its makeup.

On the other hand, a funny thing happens when we look around for a bottle to accompany a fish dinner. More often than not, the choice is a Sauvignon Blanc. Because of its typical brisk styling, the grape has a special affinity for fish and shellfish.

When I’m dining in restaurants, there is one more reason I look for Sauvignon Blanc. Not only does the wine, when well made, become an admirable companion to the food, it also offers a lot more value than the typical Chardonnay. I don’t mind paying $50 a bottle for a really special wine, but I would much prefer to have the $20 option that a good Sauvignon Blanc presents.

As usual, you will find some high-priced wines among my choices for the week, but the list also contains wines whose combination of price and quality is rarely surpassed in the wine world.

Sauvignon Blanc may not get the respect it deserves, but, dear readers, who are we to complain? Let’s just drink it quietly and hope that the world continues with its Chardonnay fetish.

$ * 1998 Buttonwood Winery, Santa Ynez Valley, $11. This clean, spry, youthful bottling starts with simple citrusy smells but quickly reveals deeper figgy flavors (possibly from the 9% Semillon in its makeup) and quite a bit of creamy, slightly smoky oak. It is pleasantly fruity from front to back in the mouth, and its succulent edge disguises its dry construction. Its style would direct it to lighter fish or to crab rather than to more oily or meaty seafoods.

$ * 1998 Chateau Ste. Michelle, Columbia Valley, $9. Its aromas are colored by notes of pear, melon and kiwi, and it is wonderfully continuous on the palate, with persistent, mildly herb-tinged flavors of melons and citrus. It is light on its feet and stands in sharp and bright contrast to the heavier style typical of Chardonnays. Here is one Sauvignon Blanc that could stand on its own as a pleasant glass of white.

$ 1998 Chateau St. Jean, Sonoma County, $8. Mildly melony fruit sets the pace in this uncomplicated but nicely rounded middleweight. It contains just the slightest sweetness, and though that dollop of sugar (not unusual in inexpensive white wines these days) adds some roundness and come-hither qualities, the wine is just a bit coarse in the finish. Its ample acidity allows it to accompany foods well, yet it too will make a pleasant glass of white on its own.

$ * 1998 Greenwood Ridge, Anderson Valley, $12. This good value may be a little harder to find, but if you run across it, you will be rewarded with a somewhat more complex wine whose grassy, dried hay and grapefruit aromas are classically Sauvignon Blanc in content. Firm and even a bit brisk on the palate, this is the kind of wine I drink with shellfish like oysters or steamed clams.

* 1998 Iron Horse Fume Blanc “TbarT,” Alexander Valley, $16. Like the Greenwood Ridge, the Iron Horse Fume is cut from a more challenging cloth. A healthy 17% Viognier adds a hint of wildflower to its grass and melon nose, but the mouth is all Sauvignon Blanc in its starkly bracing flavors. Though not a wine for all palates--and never a choice for drinking on its own, as far as I am concerned--it does make a wonderful partner to tangy seafood.

$ * * 1998 Kenwood Vineyards, Sonoma County, $10. There is nothing complex about this wine, and there is no reason to hide it in the cellar for any great length of time. That said, it is simply and engagingly fruity in a succulent, outgoing, sunny manner. It suggests pears and sweet grapefruit in its ebullient aromas and tastes. At the moment, and for its price, it is hard to beat this wine for sheer drinkability.

* * 1998 Merryvale Vineyards “Reserve,” Napa Valley, $22. No wine in our recent tasting contrasted more sharply with the Kenwood than this extraordinary effort. And the juxtaposition of the two shows why ratings are only half of the story. This attractive bottling mixes hints of smoke, dried grass, melons and oak in a rich and complex aroma, and it follows through in the mouth with ripe fig and sweet fruit flavors that end with varietally typical notes of citrus. It gets high marks for showing the extra range and harmonious construction one should expect in a wine marked “Reserve.”

$ * 1998 Murphy-Goode Fume Blanc, Sonoma County, $11. Quiet suggestions of melon and sweet anise emerge in the lightly oaked aromas and flavors of this clean, easy-to-like offering. It is crisped by just a touch of finishing acidity, and it recently graced our table chez Olken alongside a piece of red snapper pan-fried with butter and slivered almonds.

$ * * 1998 Quivira Vineyards “Fig Tree Vineyard,” Dry Creek Valley, $14. Its 20% addition of Semillon adds notes of orange blossom to more typical aromas of lime and grass. It is nicely ripened in flavor with enough varietal herbaceousness to be noticeable amid its fruit-first motif. Though it is slightly hot and coarse in the finish, this won’t be noticeable when it is served with food.

Definition of Symbols

* * * A world-class wine, superb by any measure, the top 1% to 2% of all wines tasted.

* * An exceptional wine, well worth the effort to find, 10% to 12% of wines tasted.

* An admirable wine, tasty, focused, attractive, about 25% of wines tasted.

No Rating: The best are quite pleasant and can be good buys when moderately priced.

$ Good value for the money.

x Below average quality, to be avoided.