Pairing Sauvignon Blanc

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Washington State, United States

Washington State continues to make leaps and bounds with wines that have a sense of place without feeling like they're trying to emulate what’s already been done. In this case it was a Sauvignon Blanc that turned my head for its almost whimsical aromas and pure yet striking performance on the palate: Cadaretta sbs.

A classic pairing with Sauvignon is raw oysters, so I tried Oysters on the Half Shell with Verjus Mignonette Sauce. It’s just something about the saline minerals mixed with the citrus profile of the wine and that mouthwatering finish that makes you swoon. Don’t be intimated here; the most important part is to have a good oyster shucker and to buy the freshest ingredients you can find. (Verjus can be found at most specialty grocers.)

2009 Cadaretta sbs Columbia Valley – The nose showed steely white pit fruits, pineapple, fresh cut grass, almond skins and a hint of citrus. On the palate, it was medium in body with brisk acidity, showing young pineapple, green melon and a twist of lime. The finish was fresh yet lingered on the palate with citrus concentration.

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Photo courtesy of Judi Rutz via Fine Cooking

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Comments

Racer56

137378 31

How could you leave out Chile?

Jun 01, 2012 at 11:57 AM
Eric Guido

Hand of Snooth Voice of Snooth

92549 60,593

It certainly wasn't on purpose. You know how it works. I taste at industry tastings, through submitted samples and purchases made through recommendations at local shops. When a wine sticks out, I pair it with a recipe (or two or three) to find good matches. I guess the PR machine for Chile hasn't been pushing much wine in my direction or the NYC wine stores that I frequent. With that said, I'll be happy to seek some out in the future. It is the beginning of summer after all and I love Sauvignon Blanc.

Jun 01, 2012 at 12:22 PM
Susanne-
Servin

637096 3

or Austria as a matter of fact..........

Jun 01, 2012 at 12:48 PM
redwine89

503255 74

I love me some New Zealand and Australian Sauvignon Blanc's I cant say anything bad about, they are freshing and delicious, makes you want to lay back in teh sun and lay like a turtle.

Jun 01, 2012 at 5:41 PM
wymankok

1098282 33

Sancerre FTW ..

Jun 01, 2012 at 6:49 PM
Eric Guido

Hand of Snooth Voice of Snooth

92549 60,593

Wow, I might have to do Pairing Sauvignon Blanc Part 2. Well, we still have a few weeks left to the Sauvignon Blanc GTI, I'm sure there will be much more to taste and i'll be happy to share my experiences.

Jun 01, 2012 at 9:00 PM
whitediamo-
nd

1035046 15

ok cos we kiwi wineproducers and consumers have a sense of humor we can offend the old world wine producers.I think calling a vintage "cat's pee" may have been more than a poke in the eye for some,I guess thats where your discription comes from.we can afford to be flipant when the wine tastes so fantastic ;-)

Jun 02, 2012 at 7:04 AM
Eric Guido

Hand of Snooth Voice of Snooth

92549 60,593

It was a fantastic wine. In school, you learn to describe certain aromas in certain ways and that's what I got. Like I tried to say in the note, it wasn't a bad thing. In fact, it added depth to the wine that it would have lack aromatically without it.

Jun 02, 2012 at 9:13 AM
Susanne-
Servin

637096 3

you misread my earlier comment - I said AUSTRIA not Australia!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jun 04, 2012 at 10:35 AM