Hi all,
Hope you had lots of love on Valentine’s day.
This week, a classic wine but an unconventional Sauvignon Blanc from France @ £5.99!
What it isA dry white wine made from Sauvignon Blanc in the Loire Valley, between Paris and the West coast of France.
What to expect
Appearance: pale lemon.
Nose: fresh green leaves, nettles & fresh gooseberries. Spot the key words: Fresh.
Palate: the wine is fresh and very well-balanced with a crisp acidity but a lot of fresh herbaceous flavours (nettles) and soft gooseberry fruit flavours to compensate. The finish has a nice but restrained lemon zing and most enjoyed chilled.
A VERY WELL-BALANCED SAUVIGNON BLANC: FRESH, CRISP & FRUITY. JUST LIKE A NEW WORLD SAUVIGNON BLANC.
Score: 7-8/10 (wine shown)
You’ll like it if you like: gooseberries, dry & fruity wines e.g. Gruner Veltliner, Soave, Pinot Blanc, Vinho Verde, Muscadet.
Have it with
- Goat cheese on its own, a Feta & rocket salad. I would even swap the rocket for some lamb’s lettuce and/or watercress.
- Seafood e.g. king prawns with watercress and Garlic dip
- Fish e.g. anchovies & capers or a creamy cod poached in white wine
Where to find it
1) Majestic - £5.99 – La Grille. Only when you buy 2. Otherwise £6.99.
1) Majestic - £5.99 – La Grille. Only when you buy 2. Otherwise £6.99.
2) Laithwaites – £6.99 - Abbesse de Loire. Also from Loire. One of Laithwaites' most popular and award winner.
3) Talking wines (Cirencester) – £8.99 - Makutu - Another personal favourite. More tropical fruit. Check review as part of 2011 best of selection.
Did you know?
> Sauvignon Blanc is not from NZ but originates from France. Bordeaux to be more precise.
> Sauvignon Blanc has been established –via DNA profiling- to be a parent of Cabernet Sauvignon along with Cabernet Franc.
> The grape buds late and ripens early. The picking time is key to hit the right balance between acidity and sugar ripeness and eventually the right intensity of flavours. If picked early, the wine will tend to have more ‘green’, herbaceous flavours (nettles). If picked later, the wine will develop more fruity characters. Often, winemakers will use a blend of Sauvignon Blanc picked early and late to get to the right balance.
> Sauvignon Blanc is the main grape in some of the greatest white wines e.g. Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé (not Pouilly-Fuissé which is made of Chardonnay) in Loire, Pessac-Léognan (white), Graves in Bordeaux, Fumé Blanc in California and Marlborough in New Zealand.
> Loire valley Sauvignon blanc usually tend to be very delicate on the nose (i.e. less pronounced aromas) and often oaky rather than fruity flavours vs. New World Sauvignon Blanc like those from New Zealand. Why? 1. The fermentation tends to be done at higher temperature in France. This reduces the fruits aromas 2. More of the wines like Sancerre are fermented and/or aged in oak.
> Sauvignon Blanc is one of the most popular in the UK and has superseding Chardonnay as a white wine.
Enjoy your wine this weekend!
:@lex!
