Sauvignon Blanc - a grape where if you were to ask five different people at random their thoughts, you would likely receive five completely different responses. Yet year on year, it continues its run as one of the world's highest selling and consumed varietals - is it the widespread availability and general affordability that permits such demand, or indeed something more to this grape now grown in over 30 countries (first originating in 18th century Bordeaux)?
This weekend, we look to show just how varied and elaborate it can be; our lineup dips a quick toe into Australia and New Zealand, before a comprehensive journey through France (Sancerre & Pouilly-Fumé), and a final stop in Napa Valley, USA!
Nearly all bottles chosen come from the great portfolio at Bibendum Wine Co, who have written some illuminating info on how each are grown and what makes them tick (all provided down below). You can expect wines of both pristine, svelte characteristics, as well as those that show greater width and power, so there'll be plenty to chew on!
Come by Saturday 1st March between 12 and 2pm, and start the first day of autumn off the right way - all wines on special for the next week, too!
Exceptional Expressions of Sauvignon Blanc (Specials & Tasting)
Saturday 1st March
12 to 2pm
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Thomas Wines Two of a Kind Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc 2024 -
$24 per bottle
"The Two of a Kind bottlings from Thomas Wines are a tribute to the multi-regional blends that created some of Australia’s most famous wines in the 1950s and ’60s. The Hunter Valley Semillon portion of the blend (56%) is from an early-picked block on Braemore Vineyard, while the Sauvignon Blanc (44%) was sourced from the Adelaide Hills (from the Saint & Scholar/Kaesler Co. sites). The latter portion was pressed at Kaesler Wines and transported cold to the Hunter Valley. The components were blended as soon as possible and left briefly to mature on lees to build textural complexity. The wine was bottled early to preserve as much vivid freshness as possible. Pristine, bell-clear citrus notes and light tropical fruits flow through with bouncy refreshment. There’s lovely balance between lively, fleshy texture and punchy flavour, all wrapped up by a thirst-quenching close - incredible value and perfect for warm, sunny days. " - Bibendum Wine Co.
Pyramid Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2022 -
$33 on special this week; $37 RRP
"This year’s blend is 98% Sauvignon Blanc with 2% Pinot Gris, sourced from three certified organic vineyards. The primary source is the Weaver family’s Churton Vineyard in Marlborough, supplemented by the Porters (Bellbird) and Good Family Vineyard in North Canterbury. Two-thirds of the fruit was fermented in tank, with 15% in concrete tulips and 17% in old barrels. Some 2% was fermented on skins. Skin fermentation and partial malolactic conversion were used to naturally balance the Sauvignon’s acidity while celebrating its innate freshness and vibrancy. It’s a cracking release: textural and racy with savoury meadow herbs woven throughout and a lovely dry, saline finish" - Bibendum Wine Co.
"Mostly from the biodynamically farmed Churton vineyard in Marlborough, with a touch of pinot gris. Mellow and quite sophisticated sauvignon with gooseberry, green capsicum, and green apple flavours. Distinctive wine with a character all of its own." - Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review
François Chidaine Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2022 -
$33 on special this week; $37 RRP
"François Chidaine is revered for his pristine Chenin Blancs from Montlouis and Vouvray. For a fraction of the price of those wines, here is a touch of Chidaine magic in the form of a Sauvignon cropped from vines in Chissay-en-Touraine and Saint-Julien-de-Chédon. These vineyards lie in the heart of the Touraine appellation, less than 10km upstream from Montlouis, and the viticulture is strictly organic and biodynamic. Alongside his own vineyards, Chidaine now also sources fruit from his grower son-in-law, Jean-Baptiste Bonnigal, in Limeray. Fermented with a high degree of solids before maturation on lees - a little barrel-aged fruit adds complexity - you'll find engaging zesty citrus character here, along with a delicious touch of white flower and peach skin. As always with Chidaine, you get terroir first and varietal second. The palate is ripe and fleshy, crammed with stone fruits and chalky drive rather than the stereotypical characters we often associate with the variety. One of the keys to the Loire Valley’s outstanding 2022 vintage is the marriage between fleshy fruit texture and mouthwatering freshness. You’ll find all that here, alongside a snaking finish kissed by tangy, salty lemons. We can’t remember a more exciting release under this label." - Bibendum Wine Co.
Fournier 'Les Belles Vignes' Sancerre 2023 -
$52 on special this week; $59 RRP
// Gold Winner - Decanter World Wine Awards 2024
"Carefully selected from vineyards spread over the 3 terroirs of the appellation, our Cuvée ‘Les Belles Vignes’ delights with its precision and its regularity. Domaine Fournier Père et Fils attaches the utmost importance to perfection in the vineyard and at the winery. Made with great care and attention to detail, Les Belles Vignes represents the best alliance of the three terroirs. The nose is sustained and asserted on lemony aromas accompanied by blackcurrant bud notes. The first sensations in the palate reveal a subtle and rich aromatic array, with a refined and silky ‘lemon-sorbet’ texture." - Winemaker Notes
"Compelling smoky mineral and sultry lemon characters ebb and flow across the nose and palate with a gorgeous crunch of acidity and texture. Very long and delicious." - 95 Points, Decanter
Fournier 'Les Deux Cailloux' Pouilly-Fumé 2022 -
$52 on special this week; $59 RRP
"Grown on the 3 central communes of the appellation: Tracy sur Loire, Pouilly sur Loire and St Andelain, our vines benefit from the intense luminosity and the mild climate, tempered by the proximity of the Loire river. The perfect alliance of the different terroirs, the late fruit picking and a mastered fine lees ageing process makes a benchmark cuvée. Intense and attractive, the concentrated citrus notes on the nose immediatley grab your attention. The ripe fruit flavors continue with the discovery of a sophisticated and well-balanced palate, extended by the final ‘smoky’ sensation." - Winemaker Notes
"Chopped apples, lemons, flint, honey and smoky hints on the nose. It’s medium-bodied with excellent depth and mineral complexity. Delicious finish. From organically grown grapes." - 92 Points, James Suckling
Domaine Goisot Saint Bris 'La Ronce' Blanc 2020 -
$69 on special this week; $78 RRP
Biodynamic. An utterly brilliant blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Gris from Saint Bris, a small but prestigious appellation on the outskirts of Chablis. The soil here still features the important limestone, so the 2020 Goisot St Bris "La Ronce" is remarkably concentrated but still fresh, balanced and focused. In style this wine is adjacent to Sancerre or Pouilly Fume, or indeed Chablis, this is absolutely worth a look. Goisot are known for producing wines that offer incdredible value for money, and this is one of the best we've seen yet. Do not miss this! - Our Notes
“A pale colour with some lime tints. Fresh apricot and pineapple but not disagreeably tropical. If you could have pineapple blossom it would be that. The most powerful fruit of all on the palate and with that delicious light bitterness at the back that assures longevity. Just like its pinot friend. Keeps coming back. Splendid!” - Jasper Morris MW, Inside Burgundy (Five Star Wine)
Jonathan Didier Pabiot Pouilly Fumé 'Aubaine' 2022 -
$82 on special this week; $95 RRP
"Pabiot’s first single-terroir Pouilly-Fumé comes from mature vines in Tracy-sur-Loire on caillottes, a weathered limestone soil of Portlandian origin with lots of stones on the surface. Specifically, Aubaine is hand-harvested from one hectare of Les Champs de Cris high above the river on a plateau—a vineyard Pabiot describes as “a joy to work”. Aubaine and Luminance are made identically. Both are hand-harvested, naturally vinified and raised mostly in concrete—with 20% old oak and porcelain amphora—for 18 months. So, the difference comes down purely to the two terroirs: caillottes versus terres blanches. Aubaine translates as ‘something to appreciate’, and this is the marginally more approachable of the two single-vineyard wines we offer today. It shimmies out of the glass with smoky yellow fruit, ground almond and marjoram herbal tones. Riper citrus notes on the palate join gliding texture, all framed by cool, zesty structure. It’s easy to see why Pabiot has had his run-ins with the appellation’s tasters; for all the best reasons; there’s nothing typical about this stimulating Blanc Fumé de Pouilly." - Bibendum Wine Co.
Alphonse Mellot 'La Moussière' Sancerre 2022 -
$87 on special this week; $99 RRP
"Biodynamic. La Moussière is one of the great vineyards of the Loire Valley. Cultivated with incredibly rocky, limestone-rich soils, this gently rolling vineyard lies on ancient Saint-Doulchard marls, which form part of the great Kimmeridgian chain (à la Chablis). Coupled with Mellot’s meticulous biodynamic farming and low yields, this terroir is responsible for some of Sancerre’s most striking and atypical wines. As usual, 50% of this wine fermented in huge wooden fermenters and was raised in oak casks—a fact that in no way compromises its fabulous purity and energy. The balance fermented and was raised in traditional concrete vats before blending. The wine aged on fine lees for roughly 12 months, further enhancing its famously deep, pulpy texture. Reminiscent of a topflight Chablis, those who crave flesh, purity and tension in their white wines will find great company here. Full of supple nectarine and ripe grapefruit, the wine unfolds on the palate like a coiled white Burgundy. A great La Moussière—is there any other kind?!" - Bibendum Wine Co.
Ashes & Diamonds Napa Valley Blanc No. 5 2019 -
$125 on special this week; $145 RRP
"One could never accuse Ashes & Diamonds of not aiming for the stars—this wine is a homage to the white wines of Domaine de Chevalier. It is an equal blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc from two sites in the southern Napa Valley. The Semillon component is sourced from the grape’s oldest site in California. Both vineyards benefit from the cool, foggy mornings and afternoon sea breezes rolling in from San Pablo Bay. These serve as a moderating influence and aid in preserving natural acidity and racy freshness. In the cellar, the fruit naturally co-ferments in barrel. The wine spends 10 months on fine lees in French oak (31% new) without stirring before it goes to bottle. Unusually for a white, it is released after three years in bottle, during which time the pungency of Sauvignon Blanc takes a back seat to Semillon’s lemongrass and key lime pie characters. Number 5 indicates the wine’s fifth release. According to its crafter, it is “fully ripe and textured, yet bright, zesty and supremely ageworthy”. Time in bottle has served this wine well; it’s beautifully balanced, unfurling with complexity and culminating in a lengthy, elegant close." - Bibendum Wine Co.
“A barrel-fermented blend of Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc made by Steve Matthiasson, this white is earthy, floral and structured. Honeysuckle, fig and apricot flavors highlight a reductive core of nutty complexity.” - 93 Points, Virginie Boone, Wine Enthusiast
If you wish to buy any of these wines, please use the links above ?
Alternatively, email us at sales@thewineemporium.com.au, or contact us on (07)32521117 if you have any questions.
// Prices valid until Thursday the 6th of March