2008 Beckmen Vineyards Estate Sauvignon Blanc				**
	Region	Price	Purchased	Date
	Santa Barbara, CA	$16	@ Winery	4/23/09
	A water-white, straw-colored wine with lively aromas of grapefruit, key lime and lemon creme with hints of flowers and grass. The mouthfeel is light-bodied and well-balanced, yet crisp and intense with flavors of green apple, grapefruit, kiwi and grass along with notes of minerals, apricot and lemon on the refreshing finish. While not as deeply flavored and elegant as the winery's Purisma Mountain version, which is $28, this is a very enjoyable and affordable SB that showcases what this varietal is all about. Glad I bought 2 bottles.

2008 Cupcake Vineayrds Sauvignon Blanc				*
	Region	Price	Purchased	Drank
	Marlborough, New Zealand	$10	Cost Plus	2/5/10
	A pale, straw-colored wine with moderate aromas of grass, citrus, grapefruit and hints of stone and gooseberry. The palate wass light-bodied with high-acidity that rounded out with food and got slightly more complex as it warmed. The wine was initially intense with flavors of lemon, grapefruit and grass but dies on the midpalate. The finish was quick with notes of green apple and gooseberry. While this certainly tasted like a Marlborough SB, it lacked much depth and follow-thru of its flavors. Not a bad wine for the price, but there are better SBs in this range.

2008 Grey Stack Cellars Sauvignon Blanc				****
	Region	Price	Purchased	Date
	Sonoma, CA	$28	@ the Winery	1/13/10
	A pale, straw-colored wine with an aromatic nose of citrus, gooseberry, hay and apple with hints of peach and melon. The palate is crisp and intense with lovely balance between the ripe fruit flavors and refreshing acidity. The flavors reflect the nose with great depth and a lingering finish of herbs, lime and grass. A classy and elegant wine that delivers true Sauv Blanc flavors with great finesse and unity. Aged for three months in 50% Stainless/50% neutral French Oak, which adds a creamy texture to the wine. It was so interesting, it kept me constantly going back for more. Was equally good cold and at room temperature, a rarity for SBs in my experience. So glad I have another bottle and worth every penny. Buy it if you can find it. (800 cases/13.8% abv)

2008 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc				***
	Region	Price	Purchased	Drank
	Marlborough, New Zealand	$16	BevMo	3/28/09
	A pale, straw-colored wine with fragrant aromatics of citrus and stone fruits with notes of minerals and grass. The palate is crisp and vibrant with flavors of lime, green apple, stone fruit, wet stone and hints of grass and tropical fruit on the lingering finish. A complex and well-crafted wine that kept me returning to the glass for more. A pure example of what SB is all about and a consistent winner from vintage to vintage. (WS: 91/WE:90)

2008 Vavasour Sauvignon Blanc				***
	Region	Price	Purchased	Drank
	Marlborough, New Zealand	$16	Wine.com	3/3/09
	A pale, lemon-green colored wine with a sharp nose of citrus, gooseberry and grass with notes of flint and tropical fruit. The palate is light-medium bodied with intense flavors of lemon, lime, green apple, grass and melon with notes of minerality and apricot on the crisp and clean finish. This is a vibrant wine that's still well-balanced and has a rounder mouthfeel than expected. It is a classic and lovely example of New Zealand SB and well worth the price.

2008 Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc				**
	Region	Price	Purchased	Date
	Marlborough, New Zealand	$15	BevMo	9/22/09
	A water-white, straw-colored wine with a bright nose of lemon, grapefruit, grass and hints of gooseberry. The palate is light-bodied and fairly acidic full of flavors of lemon, grass, minerals and green apple with hints of stone fruits as it opens up. Crisp and well-crafted, but a bit one-dimensional. Better the second day – more well-rounded and integrated – so I would give this wine a bit more time in the bottle. Typical of wines from the region, though not an overly memorable one.

2008 Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc				**
	Region	Price	Purchased	Date
	Marlborough, New Zealand	$16	Out at Dinner	2/27/09
	Water white with lemon-green tones this light-bodied, yet intense wine has a vibrant nose of grass, citrus and gooseberry aromas. The palate was brightly acidic with flavors of lime, gooseberry, hay and green apple with notes of minerality on the brisk finish. This is typical cool climate SB with the grassiness predominating and not much fruit to back it up. It's a little green and tart for my tastes. A wine that definitely needs food.

2007 Concha Y Toro Trio Sauvignon Blanc				*
	Region	Price	Purchased	Date
	Casablanca Valley, Chile	$18	BevMo	6/18/08
	This is a blend of three different vineyards to supposedly provide balance, but this water white, hay-colored wine is like drinking alcoholic Granny Smith apple juice infused with green grass. The acidity and herbaceousness overpower any fruit to be had. As it warms some lemon, lime and apple flavors peek out behind the gooseberry/hay but not enough to fill out the palate. Bracing is the only word that comes to mind. For this price I expected a lot more.

2007 Delta Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc				***
	Region	Price	Tasted	Date
	Marlborough, New Zealand	$18	Private Event	5/6/08
	This pale, lemon-green colored wine has classic Marlborough pungency and varietal definition with gooseberry, green pepper, citrus and fig aromas that follow through on the crisp, yet rich palate. Complex and well-balanced this wine is full of ripe green and citrus fruit with hints of grass and minerals on the long finish. This small production wine may not be easy to find, but is one to look out for.

2007 Fairview Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc				**
	Region	Price	Tasted	Date
	Coastal Region, South Africa	$13	Private Event	5/6/08
	A pale, straw-colored wine with mostly grassy notes on the nose with some hints of gooseberry, green pepper and fig aromas. The palate is light-bodied and crisp with ripe flavors of green fruit, citrus and melon. Not as complex as some SBs, but a solid effort with good varietal characteristics at a great price.

2007 Geyser Peak Winery River Ranches Sauvignon Blanc				**
	Region	Price	Purchased	Date
	Sonoma, CA	$18	Wine.com	11/17/09
	A water-white, straw-colored wine with bright aromas of limes and citrus blossom with notes of gooseberry and grass. The palate is light-bodied and well-balanced with flavors of lime, apple and grapefruit dominating with hints of grass and jalapeno on the refreshing finish. Mostly fermented in stainless steel, but 15% was stored in neutral oak which helps round out the mouthfeel. I expected a bit more depth for the price and because it comes from a specific vineyard block, but overall this is a well-made wine that holds true to the varietal without being too acidic or grassy.

2007 Girard Winery Sauvignon Blanc				**
	Region	Price	Tasted	Date
	Napa Valley, CA	$17	Kelley Cellars Wine Bar	8/16/08
	A pale, lemon-green colored wine with noticable aromatics of green apples, pink grapefruit and gooseberry, with a subtle waft of grassiness that follow through on the crisp, light-bodied palate. Well-balanced with good acidity and enjoyable tropical and citrus flavors with a nice finish. Nothing out of this world, but a well-crafted version of this varietal.

2007 Husch Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc				**
	Region	Price	Purchased	Date
	Mendocino, CA	$13	Cost Plus	7/26/09
	A water-white, straw-colored wine with bright aromas of citrus, green fruit, grass and peach. The palate is nicely balanced between fruit and crisp acidity with a rounder mouthfeel than expected. The main flavors are lemon, apple, pear and melon with hints of grass and peach on the refreshing finish. This wine saw some neutral barrel aging, which helps temper the acidity and gives the wine more weight on the palate. The wine really opened up as it warmed, adding complexity to the flavors. Husch SB has been a favorite of mine since I tried their 2000 vintage on my honeymoon over 8 years ago – when I hated SB. A consistent wine from year to year that showcases the best components of the varietal at an affordable price. (13.7% ABV)

2007 Kono Sauvignon Blanc				**
	Region	Price	Purchased	Date
	Marlborough, New Zealand	$8	Trader Joe's	10/9/08
	Crafted by the indigenous Maori community, this pale lemon-green wine has an aromatic nose of citrus and stone fruit with notes of gooseberry, which the region is famous for. The palate is crisp and vibrant with flavors of peach, lemon, ripe apple and more gooseberry with hints of lemon zest and peach on the lingering finish. Well-crafted and not as bracing and green as most wines from this region, which will please some people (like me) and not others. I didn't expect such a pleasant, fruity and elegant wine at this price. Wish I had bought more. If it's at your TJs, buy it.

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