Summer Seminar Series: Sancerre and Other Tasty Sauvignon Blancs

Sauvignon Blanc is a real wild child. Literally. The unruly offispring of Traminer and an unknown vine, its name comes from the French word “sauvage” or “wild.” A highly aromatic grape that probably originated in Bordeaux, it has achieved worldwide white wine dominance on a level matched only by Chardonnay.

It is a late budding, early ripening variety that  prefers growing in rocky soils such as chalk or gravel, and typically demonstrates intense aromas and flavors. In France it finds its best dry expressions either blended with Semillon in its homeland off the shores of the Garonne, or in the eastern appellations of the Loire Valley in Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé. Here the grape is treated only with stainless steel or neutral oak and retains its herbaceous character, often punctuated by a hint of mineral driven gunflint. In the New World, the Sauvignon Blanc sourced from the gravel soils of New Zealand achieved international renown in the 1980s and has shown no sign of losing popularity, with its immediately recognizable, bold flavors of grapefruit and green grass. Join us this Saturday as we explore the world of Sauvignon Blanc, and taste some of the wildest flavors we’ve ever encountered in a white wine.

• Château Ducasse, Bordeaux Blanc, 2017
• Michel Redde, Sancerre ‘Les Tuilières’, 2015
• Howard Park, Sauvignon Blanc Semillon ‘Miamup’, 2016
• Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc ‘Te Muna Road Vineyard’, 2017
• Capture, Sauvignon Blanc ‘Tradition’, 2014
• Coquerel, Sauvignon Blanc ‘ Terroir’, 2013

The Seminar begins promptly at 3pm, please arrive a few minutes before.
Includes an appropriately paired snack
Seating is limited to 50 people.
Reservations are required, by email or phone 505.983.2100
$10 Seminar Fee, credited with a $50 order of these wines.