The Many Names of Sauvignon Blanc

You know a wine has ascended to new heights within the popular consciousness when TikTok influencers start spiking it with sliced jalapeño. When the trend came for rosé a few years ago, many wine purists dismissed it as a frivolous social media stunt, despite the fact that rosé — jalapeños or not — was at the height of an impressive decade-long boom. With social media now awash in videos of frozen slices of jalapeño splashing into glasses of crisp white Sauvignon Blanc, Amanda McCrossin — the founder of SommVivant, who’s speaking at this year’s Food & Wine Classic in Aspen — sees an indicator rather than a resurgent social media fad. 

“The jalapeño thing is important because what that’s doing is amplifying the green notes that are already in Sauvignon Blanc,” McCrossin, sommelier and host of the Wine Access Unfiltered podcast, says. “It tells me this is something people want more of, that the people have spoken and they love that green citrus, pyrazine-y kind of flavor profile.”

Whether or not consumers realize they’re craving pyrazines — the aromatic compounds that produce green, vegetal, and herbaceous notes in many wines — the data suggest they’ve found where to get them. Sauvignon Blanc is one of the few grape varieties displaying positive sales trends within an otherwise stagnating wine market.

It’s not surprising, then, that as the bloom fades from rosé’s decade-plus of breakneck growth that Sauvignon Blanc might step into its own moment. White wines in general have enjoyed an uptick in popularity over the past few years, and Sauvignon Blanc’s hallmark flavors — green fruit, citrus, cut grass, fresh herbs — pair nicely with “anything you can squeeze a lemon onto,” McCrossin says.

What enthusiastic Sauvignon Blanc fans may not know is that some of the finest expressions of the grape are hiding in plain sight, cloaked in region or appellation names that don’t clearly indicate exactly what’s inside the bottle. Though you may not find “Sauvignon Blanc” printed anywhere on the label, you can be confident these wines will deliver that distinctive Sauvy B profile, pyrazines and all.

Sancerre

One of France’s most renowned Sauvignon Blancs is also one of its more refined. Widely considered one of the purest expressions of the grape, it tends to exhibit a more citrusy and mineral-driven character than many typical California and New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs. “I think Sancerre is the right call when you want something that feels bright and fresh but maybe has a little bit more elegance to it,” McCrossin says. “When you want a step up from the $15 Sauvignon Blanc to something that feels a bit more special, that’s when you invite Sancerre into the conversation.”

Pouilly-Fumé

“Pouilly-Fumé and Sancerre are very close sisters,” McCrossin says. “They look alike, they sound alike, but there’s a slight divide between them — I find the Pouilly-Fumé a little softer, a little more easygoing.” Though Pouilly-Fumé’s AOC sits just across the Loire River from Sancerre, differences in soil and microclimates yield distinctive expressions of Sauvignon Blanc despite their proximity. Pouilly-Fumé wines share Sancerre’s citrusy underpinnings but possess a roundness that contrasts with Sancerre’s lean, crisp character, and often exhibit a flinty or even smoky minerality (“Fumé” translates to “smoked” or “smoky”).

Saint-Bris

When you think of Burgundy, you might not associate it with Sauvignon Blanc (Chardonnay is the principal grape in nearly all white wines from the region), and you likely don’t consider it a source of value. But in the tiny appellation of Saint Bris, vignerons have been cultivating Sauvignon Blanc since the mid-19th century, producing wines that often match the quality and style of those from the Loire Valley but delivered to market at a lower price. “Burgundy is not a place from which you would anticipate getting a deal, but these actually can be very reasonably priced, sometimes under $20 a bottle,” McCrossin says.

Bordeaux Blanc

There was a time when dry white wines from Bordeaux were almost always blends of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon (and sometimes Muscadelle), but 100 percent Sauvignon Blanc offerings from the region are on the rise. However, Sauvignon Blanc lovers shouldn’t steer clear of the region’s Sauvignon Blanc-dominant blends. “White Bordeaux is all about texture,” McCrossins says. “It’s usually creamy, it’s a little silkier. For me, it’s the perfect Sauvignon Blanc for Chardonnay lovers.”

Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Alto Adige, Trentino

The Sauvignon Blanc that hails from the alpine foothills of northeast Italy is among the easiest drinking wines of its kind. “Sauvignons from Friuli or Alto Adige are clean, they’re bright, they’re fresh,” McCrossin says. “They lean heavily into the lemon camp for the most part, and they’re super, super drinkable.” Most winemakers label the wines from this region simply as “Sauvignon.” Don’t let the missing “Blanc” distract you from the citrusy scent. Deploy these Sauvignon Blancs poolside or alongside shellfish or grilled white fish.