California Sauvignon Blanc

Thankfully, the temperatures have been better lately! We hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July and enjoyed the gorgeous weather. Though the temps were perfect, shooting fireworks warms a person up, and cool white wine seemed like a great choice to enjoy with our smoke balls and rolling tanks.

Something Katie has realized this summer is that she really likes California Sauvignon Blanc. This was definitely not something she’s been drinking in the past, but these Sauv Blancs from CA are such interesting white wines—they have the tropical flavor profiles of a New Zealand Sauv Blanc, but with almost a creaminess to them that one would more typically find in a California Chardonnay (we mean creamy, NOT buttery in any way). So Katie dove right in and brought two California Sauvignon Blancs to her parents’ house for Independence Day.

First up:

Trione Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc, 2022

This lovely wine smells like pineapple and mango and even key lime, and you almost feel like you get a hint of pie crust in it, like in a key lime pie. Drinking it, it is smooth and a little creamy, unlike the tart and crisp Sauvignon Blancs from New Zealand. Like most Sauv Blancs, this has a little green character to it as well, like cut grass.

This was a tasty, refreshing wine. We all enjoyed drinking it while chasing after daytime firework parachutes, and it was soon empty.

This wine sells for $28 at Jacob Liquor.

Next up:

Imagery Sauvignon Blanc, California, 2022

This wine really has that character Katie finds so interesting—the creaminess with the more citrus and tropical flavors. Get your nose right in there: this one really smells like cream or yogurt! It is very smooth, with hints again of key lime, but more just the creamy part and not the crust. It also has a lemongrass character to it. We did think this one wasn’t quite as complex as the first and had less going on, but this is one easy-drinking wine, and we enjoyed it quite a bit. When you want a wine to just sip while you’re laughing with family and lighting those ridiculous snakes that just stain the driveway, this was delightful.

This wine sells for $13 at Plaza Wine and Spirits.

Go find some California Sauvignon Blancs to add to your summer wine list! You won’t be sorry you did! If you like the creamy character of Chardonnay but aren’t a fan of the buttery quality you can often find there, these may be the wines for you. These two are great options right here!!!