Sauvignon Blanc (Napa Valley)

The Sauvignon Blanc explosion in Napa Valley started slowly, but it probably started when Robert Mondavi opened his famed winery in the Oakville American Viticultural Area (AVA). In a bit of a play on words, he chose to call his wine made of 100% Sauvignon Blanc a Fume Blanc combining that the grape is white or blanc and Fume from the Loire's Pouilly-Fume. Fume translated from the French means smoky.

In Napa, a fairly large percentage of the higher-end Sauvignon Blanc has as a component of it, the clone known as Sauvignon Musque that we discussed briefly yesterday in our trip to Sonoma. Not surprisingly, this clone has a somewhat musky aroma to it. And, due in large part to the quite warm weather in Oakville, Yountville, Oak Knoll, and Rutherford where an awful lot of the Sauvignon Blanc is grown, these grapes are to some extent the "anti-Marlborough" of the varietal. Where those New Zealand wines fully express their isobutylmethoxypyrazine putting off lots of notes of bell pepper and green fruit, these are somewhat the opposite.

That the Sauvignon Musque matures, losing its green herbaceous notes sooner than other clones, many Napa wineries are able to harvest earlier at lower levels of alcohol and higher levels of acidity. It produces a very dry, very crisp version of Sauvignon Blanc that is generally regarded as exceptionally food friendly.

A large portion of the Sauvignon Blanc here is fermented on lees and aged in a combination of oak, often neutral French. This produces a wine with remarkable body for Sauvignon Blanc and some quite unusual notes. Some of the best from the area give off freshly mown hay, often large amounts of basil, and spearmint to produce a refeeshing and somewhat invigorating touch.

These are outstanding wines with almost any seafood. The acidity and crispness allow for pairing with shellfish and various lighter white fish while the exceptional body allows these bottlings of Sauvignon Blanc to handle some of the meatier fish like salmon or red snapper.

But, here is the catch: if you love the Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, then those from Napa are likely not your style; on the other hand, if the greenness in the wines in Marlborough overwhelms you, the ones from Napa Valley may be just your style.




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