Nine of the Best Sauvignon Blancs We Drank in 2019 - Margerum Sybarite is #3!

Sauvignon Blanc is one of the world’s most popular white wines. Made from green-skinned grapes, two of the wine’s trademark characteristics are crisp acidity and intense aromatics. It can also be grown in a range of climates from France to New Zealand to California, where it sometimes goes by the name Fumé Blanc.

While Sauvignon Blanc was most likely created in Bordeaux, it is the variety in two of the most famous wines from France’s Loire Valley, Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. The cooler climate of the Loire helps create compounds called pyrazines, which contribute to grassy, herbal or green bell-pepper flavors in the wine. The grape still does have a strong showing in Bordeaux, however, where it is typically blended with Sémillon for the region’s dry and sweet wines, specifically within Graves and Sauternais.

More than 1,000 Sauvignon Blancs or Sauvignon Blanc-based blends were tasted by our reviewers in 2019, so there’s plenty out there to consider. Instead, we turned to our annual top lists to compile a hit list of nine Sauvies to buy now. While the highest-rated bottle may be from a surprising region, beloved Sancerre and New Zealand Savvy Bs still have a strong presence.

Margerum 2018 Sybarite Sauvignon Blanc (Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara); $21, 92 points. Crisp pear flesh, lemon rind and white-flowers show on the nose of this always zesty, refreshing bottling by Doug Margerum. There’s a stony grip to the sip, where citrus and Asian pear flavors compete for attention against the tremendously chalky texture. —Matt Kettmann

Original article HERE