| (First published in Food &
Wine in 2001)
If Kate Moss were a
wine, what sort would she be? An odd question I admit, but please
stick with the idea.
Thin, angular even, but
elegant, long legged, racy, perfumed, looks great in designer
labels, loves fusion food, shellfish and goats cheese, seen at all
the best parties and fashionable restaurants. I could be describing
either a fashion supermodel or a fashionable super grape? Kate,
indeed the whole fashion world, would have to be a Sauvignon Blanc.
If any grape defines the
modern era, it’s Sauvignon Blanc. If the current decade’s diet
demands lighter but tastier foods, more fish than red meat, more
steaming and less frying, more fresh foods than processed and all in
an instant, then fashionable Sauvignon Blanc is the wine to drink.
It’s flavour and style is the essence of freshness. The fruit is
pure and usually unsullied by oak and it doesn’t need ageing.
Damn, it even tastes slimming.
Like the black grape
Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc’s origins appear to be in
Bordeaux, where these days it is enjoying something of a revival.
However, it is in the Loire and more specifically the appellations
Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé that the grape found fame and fortune. At
one time these twin villages mostly grew the undistinguished
Chasselas, but rather like a pretty teenager being spotted in a cafe
and being offered a modelling contract, Parisian bistros of the
1960s and 70s took to their version of Sauvignon Blanc as a sort of
white equivalent of Beaujolais. The rest, as they say, is history.
What was the appeal?
Freshness, simplicity and uncomplicated fruity flavours were surely
high on the list. In short it was an antidote to the stuffiness and
complex nature of fine white Burgundy that required barrels and
ageing and it was more affordable. What were the flavours that so
appealed? Its most recognisable trait is its piercing, distinctive
aroma. Descriptions usually involve some or all of the following:
gooseberries; nettles; grassy; herbaceous; green apples; lemon or
lime; greengages; tomcat and
in warmer climates and vintages asparagus, passion fruit and most
memorably of all from Jancis Robinson, “Cat’s pea on a
gooseberry bush”. The central theme you’ll notice is the colour
green (tomcats aside).
The terroir of the
Loire’s top exponents can add an extra layer of flavour suggestive
to many of gun smoke or struck flint. Hence the term fumé or or
smoked. The names to look for in Pouilly Fumé include, so called
‘wild man’, Diddier Dagueneau, Ch Tracy and the outrageously
expensive Baron de L from Baron Patrick Ladoucette.
Sancerre names to seek out include Vacheron, Jean - Max
Roger, Gitton and Ladoucette’s La Poussie.
Other Loire villages
have tried to cash in on the twin’s success. These include Quincy,
Menetou Salon, Reuilly, Gien, Poitou and Touraine. All offer
something of the flavour, with the first two named being the most
convincing, but the results are perhaps like comparing a high street
multiple’s ‘ready to wear’ range with serious designer garb.
Bordeaux is France’s
other couture producer to employ this supermodel grape. And how! The
wealthy hedonist’s choice Ch d’Yquem and its neighbours employ
Sauvignon in conjunction with Semillon to produce delicious dessert
wines. These two can also combine at top Graves or Pessac-Leognan
properties to make dry whites that make the average white Burgundy
look like a sad fashion victim. Clos Floridène is a classic
example. It’s one of the wine world’s mysteries, how the whole
can be greater than the sum of the parts. In fact, desperately
unfashionable white Bordeaux, rather like Marks & Spencers, with
a little careful choice, can actually provide some fantastic
bargains.
The first region outside
France to make a claim for greatness with the grape was California.
Robert Mondavi picked it riper, so that the herbaceous qualities
were minimised, put it in oak and called it, with a nod to its
homeland, Fumé Blanc. An American friend calls it
‘Junior Chardonnay’, which says it all. It’s just
trying too hard to be something it isn’t.
I think it’s like big hair or wearing too much make up, but
enjoying wine is an individual thing and that may be your style.
Those who enjoy the more herbaceous style should look out for
Frog’s Leap, one of the few brave enough to swim against the
Mondavi tide.
The biggest noise these
days and the most avant-garde of designers are in Marlborough at the
tip of New Zealand’s
South Island. If the Loire is all aristocratic Channel, then
Marlborough is Vivienne Westwood. To this day I meet French
vignerons who snort in derision when confronted by a Kiwi Sauvignon.
“It’s not wine, it’s exotic fruit juice” they usually
protest. But Irish and British wine drinkers beg to differ and laud
it as a new classic. Montana laid the foundations and are still the
biggest and are remarkably consistent. Having worked for a New
Zealander in the early eighties, I have probably tasted each of the
last eighteen vintages since that first shocking 1982. I can’t
remember a bad one.
The star turn in
Marlborough is undoubtedly Cloudy Bay. It has risen from cult status
to legend in a few short years. The wine is good, but pricey these
days. Well wouldn’t you cash in too? There are plenty of other
great wines in Marlborough. In fact, it’d hard to think of a poor
one. Names to look for include Hunter’s Estate, Seresin,
Stoneleigh, Huia and anything that Kim Crawford is involved in.
Across the Bass Straits
in Australia, Sauvignon is one of the few grapes not to shine, even
in talented hands. The climate seems to be too warm. Cooler regions
such as the Adelaide Hills offer the best hope of some of that
characteristic tangy flavour with Shaw and Smith at the forefront.
Fake designer goods
aren’t just exclusive to Hong Kong and Taiwan. Chile allegedly has
acres of Sauvignon Blanc, but sadly much of it isn’t Sauvignon
Blanc at all. Much is fact something called Sauvignon Vert or
Sauvignonasse, which some claim is really the Italian grape Tocai
Friulano. This grape has less character and when combined with high
yields the results can be dilute. Reserve level wines are usually
the real McCoy and generally worth the extra asked. Santa Rita
Medalla Real ‘99 was one of the best Sauvignons that I tried last
year from any source. Other reliable sources include anything from
Ignacio Recabarren, particularly his Casblanca label and in general
wines from the cool Casablanca Valley. Neighbouring Argentina is
improving, but has yet to convince. The best wines will no doubt
come from the cool Tupengato region.
South Africa’s efforts
with the grape can be neutral and uninspiring, but the best are a
treat. The style is a cross between Sancerre and Marlborough.
Amongst the most exciting are Thelema, Klein Constantia and
Mulderbosch. (Plus these days Springfield - MM June 03)Spain’s best Sauvignon Blanc’s come from Rueda but
aren’t arresting, whilst Torres can always be relied upon in
Penedes. Hungary and particularly the Neszmely winery are Eastern
Europe’s best bet. For such a fashion conscious country Italy has
had surprisingly little success, but this is probably because they
tend not to enjoy aromatic wines. Their finest are from Friuli.
One of the defining
assets of classic designer clothes or indeed beautiful models is
their timeless or ageless quality. Sadly Sauvignon Blanc falls down
in this respect. It rarely ages. It’s youthful vibrant beauty is
generally fleeting, if alluring. As in the fashion world, only the
French classics seem to survive. A twenty year old bottle of Baron
de L enjoyed recently was as fresh and relevant as a little black
dress from Channel, but that’s a model that only gets out of bed
for a large fee.
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