Sonoma County Winegrape Commission

Well known in Bordeaux (France) as Sancere or Graves, where it is often blended with Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc is responsible for some of the most food-friendly white table wines on the planet. It also shows off its talents in some of the best dessert wines, as well, when the “noble rot” (botrytis cinerea) is allowed to shrivel (and concentrate) the berries prior to harvest.

One of Sonoma County’s star varietals, Sauvignon Blanc grows admirably in a wide range of wine regions including: Dry Creek Valley, Alexander Valley, Sonoma Valley, Chalk Hill and Knights Valley. This grape likes a bit of sunshine—it does particularly well up on the benchlands and hillsides—and those five regions step up to the plate nicely.

With a little sun, the grape shows fresh grass and herbal notes with an underlying stony, mineral component that gives the wine some significant sizzle. But when growers open up the vine leaf canopy to let in additional sunlight, the wines offer up delightful honeydew and Crane melon characteristics. Some will add some extra time in French oak and label this wine “Fumé Blanc,” trying for a more complex, more European style.

The fruity, grassy styled wines show well with mussels, clams, scallops and shrimp. If you like the smoky quality of the Fumé style, you’ll certainly want to be thinking barbecue, from chicken in a honey sauce to pork loin or turkey breasts marinated in sesame or cilantro. Think outside the bun, and have a little fun.