Sauvignon blanc

Synonyms: blanc fumé (Sancerre and Pouilly in France), muskat-silvaner (Austria and Germany), fumé blanc (USA).

Late budding and early to medium ripening, it is a very productive variety that must be contained to produce quality grapes. It was born from the spontaneous crossing of the red cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon. It is currently one of the most international white varieties.

It is a fresh and very aromatic variety, with fruit ranging from white fruit to tropical fruit, including stone fruit; and a very marked herbaceousness described as grass, boxwood or cat's pee among others. In France it is grown with great success in Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé (Loire Valley), here the wines are very sharp and aromatically more restrained, showing characteristic mineral and smoky notes. Further down in Bordeaux, sauvignon blanc is blended with semillon to give a riper, fattier style that is often barrel-aged. Another notorious style is that of Marlborough (New Zealand), where lees and oak are avoided, and the aromatic potential of the variety is squeezed out, giving wines with marked aromas of grapefruit, tropical notes and a strong herbaceousness.

Another famous style is the Fumé Blanc from California (USA), which tries to imitate the Bordeaux style, but makes wines with more maturity and warmth due to the difference in climate. Other good sauvignon producers are Chile and South Africa. Most of Spain is too warm to grow sauvignon blanc, but it has become important in regions such as Rueda where there are good examples of single varietals or blends with verdejo.