Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc is the exclusive grape that produces the great dry white wines from Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé.

Sauvignon Blanc is the only grape variety authorized in the great appellations of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. It can also be found in the Touraine wine region. Sauvignon Blanc is a very aromatic grape variety that reveals complex and multiple nuances depending on the terroir where the vine is planted. Mostly vinified alone, Sauvignon Blanc weighs…

Sauvignon Blanc is a fragile grape variety: very influenced by the climate, it reveals excellence on the greatest terroirs but does not suffer from mediocrity. The finest Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc wines tend to be mineral (flint) and have a particularly rich palette of aromas. Its wines can reach heights of structure and complexity. Very nice Sauvignon Blanc white wines are also produced in the Touraine wine region, in the triangle formed by the towns of Chenonceaux, Amboise and Saint-Aignan. These wines can turn out to be very elegant, lively, balanced and distinctive, to be drunk in their youth most of the time. .

Sauvignon Blanc is an “old” grape variety: formal traces of it can be found in Bordeaux from the 18th century … as well as in Pouilly-sur-Loire. Sauvignon Blanc is also remarkable in that it is the genetic parent of Cabernet Sauvignon (associated, as you might expect, with its other parent, Cabernet Franc).

Sauvignon Blanc

grape characteristics

Sauvignon Blanc has a very wide aromatic palette, which can be expressed in very different ways depending on the soil and climate. In the central Loire Valley, as in Pouilly-Fumé, aromas of flint stone are a local characteristic of dry white wines. Other characteristic flavors of Sauvignon Blanc are: notes of green apple, gooseberry, white flowers, citrus (lemon, orange, grapefruit), exotic fruits (kiwi, passion fruit) and in some cases stone fruits (white peach, nectarine). If Sauvignon Blanc is best known for dry white wines, it can also be produced in sweet wines, by harvesting the grapes late (“vendanges tardives”). In the Loire Valley, Sauvignon Blanc often exhibits a distinctive mineral quality, with pronounced notes of chalk and flint, reflecting the region’s unique terroir. The grape’s naturally high acidity is particularly well-suited to the Loire’s cool climate, resulting in wines with vibrant freshness and remarkable aging potential.

Color: White

(Pale intensity)

Acidity: Low

Alcohol: Low

Body: Light

Will keep: 3 to 5 years

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Appellations using the grape variety

Sauvignon Blanc

If Sauvignon Blanc is now cultivated worldwide … it’s origins are rooted in the Loire Valley! The majority of the production of white Loire Valley wines from Sauvignon Blanc comes from a few key appellations. Sancerre produces lively white wines, with intense mineral and citrus notes. Pouilly-Fumé produces similar wines but with these remarkable flint aromas. The nearby Menetou-Salon vineyard produces fresh, bright white wines with a full, round mouthfeel. Further east, on the banks of the Arnon and the Cher, can be found Reuilly and Quincy appellations where fruity white wines are produced with good acidity and aromas of flowers and citrus. Lower down the Cher river, one enters the Touraine wine region where Sauvignon Blanc dominates. In the past years, White Touraine wines have seen a growing popularity due to their quality and to small sub-appellations such as Touraine Oisly and Touraine Chenonceaux that produce remarkable wines.

Key figures about Sauvignon blanc

of Loire white wines

of French vineyard

On the rise

Appellations using Sauvignon blanc

Menetou-Salon, Pouilly-Fumé, Quincy, Reuilly, Sancerre, Touraine, Touraine Chenonceaux, Touraine Mesland, Touraine Oisly, Val de Loire