The Great NoVa Sauvignon Blanc Taste Off

Tonight was the night!! We tasted three great Virginia Sauvignon Blancs at the beach, after the crew had a hot day on the beach. I was totally excited and ready for this showdown.

We, of course, used the Wine Folly tasting placemats to test out the smell and flavor, and rate the wine. Of course, we all wound up in different places at the end of the tasting. That’s how it should be – it should be about what speaks to us individually, meeting our interests and palates.

First on the menu, Boxwood’s 2017 Sauvignon Blanc. I wrote about the visit I had with dad some time ago… this bottle has been waiting for this comparison tasting experience since then.

There were four of us in the tasting, and we all came from different places in our love of wine. Husband of course served a platter of blueberry goat cheese, sharp cheddar, and smoked gouda with bacon, just to mess with our taste buds and interfere with the experience.

But we had our placemats and dutifully checked off each attribute as part of the process.

Boxwood came up with low intensity in color and smell, with light notes of lemon both in smell and taste. Lower acidity and mostly dry, this was an easy drinker. One of the group rated it favorite.

Next up in the matchup – Walsh 2017 Sauvignon Blanc.

This was one I liked from the first sip, and it’s one of dad’s favorites too. I knew right away this would be a contender. Walsh has rapidly entered the top three go-to wineries, and later this evening we moved on to the Russ Mountain Merlot with rare cuts of Filet from the grill (Which paired beautifully, see below). The smells came along more muted, with little bits of lemon and grapefruit coming in, and some of the crew got herbs like rosemary from the nose on it. It came in at medium acidity and low to medium intensity, which is part of what makes it so drinkable. One of the crew rated this #1 of the group.

Finally, my #1 of the Va Sauv Blanc crew, the Linden 2016 Avenius Sauvignon Blanc.

This has the highest alcohol and acidity, and clear flavors of grapefruit. Two members of the group had VERY strong reactions to the nose on this wine, and noted that as time went on the nose changed dramatically – I’m curious, because this one had been waiting six months for tasting, and Linden’s menu has moved on to the 2017 Sauv Blancs… is this wine not ready for the long haul? Did we miss its window?

For me, and one member of the group, this became #1 of the show. We also shared a taste with the beach house landlord who was with his husband in the accessory dwelling. Crisp and dry, and really fairly complex at the end of the day, yet very smooth and drinkable, this wine stole the night.

Later this evening came rare Kansas City SteakHouse filets grilled with corn on the cob, mashed potatoes and zucchini. Those who could hang enjoyed the Walsh Russ Mountain Merlot with the steaks, and the depth in this merlot played nicely off the steak. This is really rapidly moving up the list of my favorite reds.

There it is, the first MyNovaWine Blog taste-off of a single varietal. I think we’ll try to feature this. There are a few malbecs at home, and last year I tried to do a mini-taste off of malbecs, so that may be the next one that comes.

Which sauv blancs do you favor?