Sauvignon blanc has a very bad reputation, often overly crisp, too thin, the white that serves as the opposite to chardonnay’s overly thick, buttery, oaky notes.
St. Supéry, the Napa Valley winery of the Skalli winemaking family of France, produces some of the rare Napa Valley sauvignon blancs that possess life and hold up to any food or on its own before dinner or during a party. I can’t think of a better white to sip during a dinner party in fact.
The 2010 sauvignon blanc I enjoyed recently at Yoshi’s Jazz Club in San Francisco brings an initial aroma of acidic citrus like lime or grapefruit, conjuring up thoughts of some of the great sauvignon blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand. The wine is youthful and lively, but also very smooth. Flavors balance perfectly with a hint of fruit mingling with a salty clarity and a bit of a woody note too. It’s not a fascinating wine, rather simple, but so enriching with or without a meal.
St. Supéry is an excellent choice to visit as well, one of the few Napa wineries that has terrific reds AND terrific whites to taste, with the sauvignon blancs being the showstopper. I last visited in 2010 and remember having excellent sauvignon blancs…though I doubt this 2010 was on offer. Either way, St. Supéry provides a great reason to return to sauvignon blanc.
Trev's Bistro 