Sauvignon Blanc: Taking It Old School

I’ve been awash in new-world Sauvignon Blanc as of late, if you’re following the blog, you’ve no doubt noticed posts on Sauv’s from Napa, Chile and New Zealand. So the other day when I was visiting my buddy Steve Greer at K&L Wine Merchants in Hollywood, he said “give this one a try… one of my new favorites”. And for $13.99, I couldn’t argue with him.

This one was from France, but it wasn’t from Sancerre, which is the area in France known for crazy good white wines made with the Sauvignon Blanc grape (if it was from Sancerre, it would have most likely been more than $13.99). Rather, this wine was from Touraine, – further west in the Loire Valley region of France. It was the 2007 Jean-Francois Merieau Sauvignon Blanc, 100% organic and 100% Sauvignon Blanc.

Its a delicate, light straw color, and has aromas of grapefruit and herbs. Once it made it into my mouth, it was light and crisp, with faint flavors of lemon, grapefruit and a strong mineral background. The fruit definitely is quiet, more subdued than my recent samples of new-world Sauv Blancs. A very enjoyable wine, and for under $15 it’s an inexpensive wine journey to France.

Note to self: It’s time for a side by side tasting of Sauv Blancs from the old world vs. some from the new world. Coming soon to WineExpedition.com…