Sauvignon Blanc is a versatile white grape variety that create white wines ranging in flavor from grassy to mineraly to fruity. Other Sauvignon Blanc flavors and aromas include apples, melons, peppers, and smoke. Sauvignon Blanc tends to be more grassy when picked early, more fruity when picked late. Sauvignon Blanc flavors also depend heavily on where the grapes are grown. The most famous wines made from Sauvignon Blanc grapes come from Bordeaux and the Loire valley in France.
Uses of Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc grapes are used to produce a variety of different wines. Most wine regions tend to use the Sauvignon Blanc grapes for basic varietal wines, labeled "Sauvignon Blanc," while in France it's common to find it blended with other grapes to create more complex flavors. It is, for example, a major component in dessert wines from Sauternes as well as dry white wines from Bordeaux.
Variations on Sauvignon Blanc
Wine makers can influence the final product of Sauvignon Blanc through a lot of different decisions during the wine making process. French wines made from Sauvignon Blanc tend to be unoaked, for example, while California Sauvignon Blanc (often called Fumé Blanc) tends to be oaked to soften the acidic characteristics. French wine makers also tend to ferment Sauvignon Blanc in warmer temperatures, which enhances the mineral aspects of the flavor, while American wineries use colder temperatures to bring out the floral and fruity aspects.
