Sauvignon blanc is fucked up.....

Wow...It is said that you often learn more from your mistakes than from your victories. Well in our case, we learn more from the bad than from the good. Very interesting and disappointing as the same time.

We went through a pretty large blind tasting of 15 Sauvignon Blanc from around the world. 5 flights of 3 wines, totally blind...and boy our taste buds suffered.

2006 Paul Achs Sauvignon Blanc - Austria, Neusiedlersee
Some golden hues. Light kiwi notes with some citrus and hint of flint. Smoky palate with citrus finish. Wine really lacks acidity. With time, strawberry notes appear.
My guess was Aussie...hum....

2009 Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc Te Muna Road Vineyard - New Zealand, Martinborough
Started witn a pungent nose of banana candy. Settled down the next day with more floral, apple and spicy notes.
If the nose changed, the palate stays heavy because of its fatness. The citrus and grapefruit notes can not even help.
Guessed NZ.

2008 Francis Blanchet Pouilly-Fumé Vieilles Vignes - Pouilly-Fumé
Started with some weird savory notes. It then evolved to show more flint. But overall it stayed quite shy.
On the 1st day, the wine was barely drinkable as the acid was out of control. I thought the wine was totally acidified. On the 2nd day, it lost the acidity and became almost too flabby and round with modest citrus notes as well. The acidity on the attack still seems fake.
My 1st guess on the 1st day was Chile.
I really don't know what to think of that wine: one day it was way too acid and the next it was flabby.....Huh?

2006 Alois Gross Sauvignon Blanc Sulz - Austria, Südsteiermark
Very aggressive nose. Cat pee, liter box. Grapefruit and over sweet. Totally disliked the wine.
Guessed NZ.
2009 Pascal & Nicolas Reverdy Sancerre Terre de Maimbray - Sancerre
Light red fruits with a hint of mint. There's some acidity on the attack but the finish has no zip.
Boring.

2008 Henri Bourgeois Quincy Haute Victoire - Quincy
Some grapefruit and citrus notes on the nose. A touch grassy with some orange skin on the palate. Med acidity.
It's a balanced and well made wine but rather simple. Price should be $12 and not $25...
The acid gives away the country of origin.

2008 Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc - New Zealand, Marlborough
Cat pea and green peas nose. Low acid, very soft and round, a little more lemon on the palate. Ripe with a sensation of residual sugar and licorice.
This is way too flabby and ripe for my taste.
Guessed NZ.

2009 Mulderbosch Sauvignon Blanc - South Africa, Western Cape
Quite smoky nose with asparagus.
Lemon and grapefruit with light mineral notes and med acidity. A pleasant wine.
The smokiness leads you to South Africa here. This is actually pretty decent and enjoyable.

2007 Jean-Claude Châtelain Pouilly-Fumé Domaine de Saint-Laurent-L'Abbaye

Hint of honey, marzipan and butter on the nose...not what I would expect.
Some nice lemon and light mineral notes on the palate but on the finish the wine is completely falling apart like it was 10 years older...Go figure. Not a good wine based on this bottle.
In spite of those flaws, this has a Pouilly profile.

2008 Cakebread Cellars Sauvignon Blanc - Napa Valley
Started very sulphury. Exotic fruit with a touch of mint with some alcohol.
It's harsh and painful to drink. Disgusting. Terrible.

2009 Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc Reserva - Chile, Casablanca Valley
A little dirty on the nose with some cooked onions notes along with wet grass and lemon.
Ripe with an annoying sweetness sensation. Good thing is that the palate is not exploding with over the top varietal notes, only showing discreet fruit and a touch of grass but, as many, this is a tiring wine.
Guessed Chile because of the funkiness.

2007 Thomas & Fils Sancerre La Crele

Shy nose showing some mineral and light smoky notes. Good acid, the palate is also restrained, matching the nose with refreshing light bitter notes on the finish. Interesting cassis leaf notes.
A good wine to match with proper seafood.
Initial guess was Pouilly Fume because of the low fruit.

2008 Hewitson Sauvignon Blanc Lulu - Australia, Adelaide Hills
Totally fake nose, herbal candy like with nail polish. Big with again some herbal notes and taste way too sweet.
Guessed Aussie.

2009 François Chidaine Touraine Val de Loire Sauvignon - Touraine
Very varietal, grassy and a little harsh. Too ripe, spicy apple with grapefruit.
Overall the wine is too aggressive and ripe.
Guessed Cali SB !

2009 Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc - Russian River Valley
Creamy nose, peach custard. Licorice on the nose.
Sweet exotic fruit on the palate. Big. Lots of melon with coconut on the sweet finish.
Exactly what I don't like...This is a cocktail wine.

Man, we did have a bunch of crappy wine.

Two major flaws (at least for our group) were:

-SB became a caricature. Many producers are trying to emphasize the varietal side of the grape without attempting to capture any subtlety or finesse.

-The wines are way too SWEET for God's sake. I know many consumers will love this sweetness in those wines but man this is freaking tiring. You drink half a glass and your palate is shot.

Also, Adelaide Hills is a pretty cool region but the Hewitson was really candied. Why?

The Merry Edwards is adored by many people on wine boards and I believe was proclaimed as the best SB in America by Wine Spectator...hum...yeah...and next year I'm playing with the Red Wings on their 1st line.

The Mulderbosch was a pretty good surprise and overall the French SB were often more balanced and showed more acidity.

I think this tasting made me realise how hard, how difficult it is to make a good sauvignon blanc. Of course, this is personal and many people love many of the wines we tasted. Good for them and for the winemakers. Everybody has a different palate and will love different wines. But in my opinion this grape has became a tool for mass market wines, vinified in a way to please the crowd.

Maybe more than for any other grapes, I buy and drink only from a handful of producers: Francois Cotat, Edmond Vatan, Gerard Boulay, Alphonse Mellot and Pascal Cotat. To a lesser extent Claude Riffault and Gitton are also doing a good job.

What are your go to producers for SB?