The Courage to Be Sauvignon Blanc

 Sauvignon Blanc has always been one of my favorite grapes, of course and above all, the wines that are produced with this extraordinary variety. I could call it love at first sight or love at first glass, still remembering the moment in which my nose first met Sauvignon Blanc. It was a Sancerre – the very famous AOC of the Loire Valley, in France – an encounter that took place about thirty years ago. It was a shocking experience and one that I still remember perfectly, struck by that encounter, made of olfactory qualities unknown to me at the time, not least, the extreme elegance and class of Sauvignon Blanc, a blend mainly dominated by methoxypyrazines. That Sancerre was so different from any other wine I had tasted up to that moment, an explosion of intense fruit aromas, even tropical ones, to which was added, at least for me and at that time, a new dimension of complexity. Besides the novelty, I was struck by that combination of intense and frank aromas, convinced, with absolute certainty, that in my glass I had a magic of extraordinary elegance.

 This novelty was mainly expressed by a number of aromas so far away from the usual perceptions of flowers, fruits and tertiary qualities conferred by time and wood. These were aromas that, on that occasion, were difficult to understand and that led to a world that I would never have thought of finding in a wine. Or rather, not in that way. I had already read and listened to the opinions and comments of many wine tasters and writers of those times, who highlighted the herbaceous and wild character of white wines produced with Sauvignon Blanc, especially those in its primary reference territory, that is, the Loire Valley in France and, in particular, Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, the latter famous for their “flint” aroma, with an almost “smoky” character, the same that is produced by striking a stone of this type. I was really curious and I felt that, in my journey as an “apprentice taster” as I was at the time, tasting these wines would represent a fundamental formative experience.

 At my first attempt at research, I managed to find a bottle of Sancerre, while for the Poilly-Fumé I had to wait a few more months. That coveted bottle, as already mentioned, was a sensational discovery: I was finally able to associate a real “smell” to the many words I had read about the legendary olfactory qualities of Sauvignon Blanc. Green bell pepper, elderflower, tomato leaf, flint and, above all, the most controversial and definitely most disconcerting smell of all: cat urine. The characteristic smell that, to be a little more elegant, is also often referred to as the smell of boxwood, that is, the bush used to create hedges. In short, scents that were certainly not common and distant – so to speak – from the comforting world of flowers and fruits that could be perceived in the majority of wines. It was a highly formative experience that also had the effect of increasing my curiosity about Sauvignon Blanc, both the grape and its wines. It had become a sort of obsession and just reading Sauvignon Blanc in a label was enough to convince me to buy the bottle.

 All those bottles, however, immediately made me understand the enormous difference between the French production of the Loire Valley – in the meantime I had also managed to find Pouilly-Fumé and other wines of that appéllation – and the rest of the world. With one exception: the Sauvignon Blanc produced in Marlborough, the famous wine-growing area in New Zealand. Not that the other Sauvignon Blancs of that time were bad, they were certainly very different and, so to speak, with less personality, despite the fact that the majority of Sauvignon Blanc producers in the world attempted, more or less successfully, to replicate the Loire Valley style. The wines produced with this grape at that time were definitely characterized by a sensorial personality, especially in their olfactory profile, dominated by a wild, herbaceous and vegetal expression, typical of Sauvignon Blanc. These were, without a shadow of a doubt, wines that knew no middle ground: you either loved them or you hated them. I was among those who appreciated them and still am today.

 The more the years pass by, the more I am convinced that the first category – the one represented by those who love Sauvignon Blanc when it is pure and wild, to which I belong – is progressively attracting less interest in favor of interpretations characterized by the exuberant expression of fruit, certainly easier to understand and appreciate. Let's be clear, these are certainly excellent wines and interpretations, of enormous pleasure, especially when made with rigor and quality viticultural and enological criteria. In all fairness, it must be said that Sauvignon Blanc, in order to express its wildly complex character, requires particular climatic and environmental conditions, in addition to the careful determination of the harvest period. However, when it is found in vineyards cultivated in warm areas exposed to the sun, Sauvignon Blanc significantly loses, often completely, its herbaceous and complex character, leaving space for the triumph of fruits, especially tropical ones, to the point of even becoming an ordinary banal wine.

 However, this is not a “simple” climatic, environmental, viticultural and enological matter, since it is mainly a market issue. It is certainly easier to sell a Sauvignon Blanc that offers incredible fruit and flower aromas to the nose, perhaps even a slight hint of the more delicate typical qualities, such as elderflower and nettle, rather than a Sauvignon Blanc that is markedly herbaceous and complex. After all, this is something that I often see in people's appreciation when they find in the glass intense aromas of gooseberry, passion fruit, pineapple, peach and grapefruit, to which is added the amazement for the scent of elderflower and nettle. While I see less and less often the amazement for a Sauvignon Blanc when the nose is hit by scents of green bell pepper, tomato leaf, asparagus in addition to the famous, and feared, smell of boxwood – for friends, cat pee – as well as the sparkling, mineral whip of freshly struck flint.

 It is rare, these days, to find Sauvignon Blancs capable of expressing, with pride and without fear, this complex, herbaceous and vegetal character, well supported by the explosive fruity personality which is typical of this variety. It is not enough to have the right climate and favorable environmental conditions, it also takes courage. Such courageous producers, in fact, are difficult to find today, although there are still many who resist in the Loire Valley and in Marlborough, New Zealand. In both cases, in fact, it is a distinctive character that lovers of wines from these territories expect to find in their glass. In various ways, and until a few decades ago, they were also frequent in Sauvignon Blancs from other territories, including Italy, since it was more of an emulation fad. Over time it has diminished and today, as already mentioned, the enological interpretation that tends to favor the fruity character is preferred, certainly easier to sell, not least, also to make. And I, who continue to appreciate those Sauvignon Blancs that are so herbaceous, vegetal and mineral, when I happen to have it in my glass, in addition to greeting it with a smile of satisfaction, I am equally happy for the fact that there are still those who make wines with this grape with the courage to be Sauvignon Blanc.