THE SAUVIGNON BLANC OF TENUTA MONTAUTO

Il Sauvignon Blanc, comunemente noto come Sauvignon, è un vitigno a bacca bianca originario della Francia, più precisamente della regione della Loira. Tuttavia, è ampiamente coltivato in molte regioni vinicole di tutto il mondo, inclusi paesi come Nuova Zelanda, Cile, Stati Uniti, Italia e molti altri.

Il Sauvignon Blanc è famoso per i suoi vini bianchi aromatici e vivaci. Ha una riconoscibile acidità fresca e un profilo aromatico distintivo che può variare leggermente a seconda del terroir e delle pratiche di vinificazione.

I vini Sauvignon Blanc sono spesso caratterizzati da un bouquet esplosivo di aromi intensi. Le note aromatiche tipiche includono agrumi come limone e pompelmo, frutta tropicale come mango e maracuja, erbe fresche come erba tagliata, foglia di pomodoro e erba medica, e talvolta anche sfumature minerali o di fieno appena tagliato.

In bocca, il Sauvignon Blanc offre una piacevole acidità e una freschezza vivace. I vini possono essere secchi o leggermente aromatici, a seconda dello stile di vinificazione adottato. Hanno un corpo medio o leggero e possono presentare una buona persistenza aromatica.

Il Sauvignon Blanc è spesso apprezzato per la sua versatilità culinaria. È un’ottima scelta per accompagnare frutti di mare, pesce, insalate, verdure fresche e formaggi di capra. La sua vivacità e la sua acidità ben bilanciata possono fare da contraltare a piatti ricchi di sapore.

Oltre ai vini monovarietali, il Sauvignon Blanc viene spesso utilizzato anche per l’assemblaggio in alcuni vini bianchi. Ad esempio, in alcune regioni della Francia, viene miscelato con il Sémillon per produrre i famosi vini dolci di Sauternes e Barsac.

In conclusione, il Sauvignon Blanc è un vitigno bianco amato per i suoi vini aromatici, freschi e vivaci. È apprezzato in tutto il mondo e offre una gamma di sfumature aromatiche che possono soddisfare i palati più esigenti.

ETHNIC AND VEGETARIAN

Sauvignon is an easy accompaniment to many of the most difficult dishes in Italian and other cuisines. It is very comfortable with all vegetables, for example, with gazpacho and with raw fish dishes, preferably spicy, aromatic ones like ceviche. In its more structured versions, then, it also goes very well with cheeses, especially those refined with mountain herbs, but also with goat's milk cheeses or cheeses from Alpine pastures. It is excellent with all vegetarian and vegan dishes, and is a good companion for ethnic cuisine, especially if spicy, as some experiments with Sri Lankan dishes have shown.
Due to its intoxicating aromas, it is also successfully used in vinotherapy.

FOCUS

Origin and spread

Together with Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc - more simply called Sauvignon - is the most popular and widespread white grape variety in the world. It was a sudden and, in any case, very recent conquest: in 2010, in fact, a ranking carried out by the University of Adelaide, Australia, placed Sauvignon in ninth place among the world's grape varieties, whereas just ten years earlier, in 2000, it was in seventeenth position, a difference of eleven positions in ten years. As this research shows, Sauvignon is cultivated in Australia, but also in New Zealand, California, South Africa and Chile, where it has spread thanks to characteristics such as its great adaptability in terms of both climate and terroir. Sauvignon is a globetrotting grape variety, but it is also very demanding and very territorial.

In Italy, the best Sauvignon is produced in Friuli Venezia Giulia and Alto Adige, where in almost all cases it is aged in steel. In Italy, Sauvignon arrived thanks to the domination of the Habsburg-Lorraine, a well-known European dynasty created by the marriage of Maria Theresa of Habsburg and Francis Stephen of Lorraine, who introduced the cultivation of this vine, of French origin, first in Friuli and then, from there, in Trentino Alto Adige. Today, Sauvignon is also cultivated in Veneto, Emilia Romagna and Lombardy, where it is included in the composition of many wines that enjoy the DOC denomination.

Its success comes from its intrinsic freshness and an aromaticity that makes it, even to novices, immediately recognisable. The best Sauvignons are recognisable for their elegance on the palate and, as mentioned, for their unmistakable aromas. It is no coincidence that it is from Sauvignon that some of the best-known and most sought-after whites originate, and above all from France, where it finds its cradle, especially in the Bordeaux region and, in particular, in the Sauterne area where, together with Semillon and Muscadelle, it enters into the composition of the botrytised wine of the same name.

Also in Bordeaux, and always in the company of Semillon, it is found in the prized white Bordeaux wines such as those of Pessac-Léognan and the Graves, while it has become the main grape variety in Loire appellations such as Sacerre and nearby Pouilly Fumé, the valley that, among the châteaux, and thanks to its unique terroir, yields dry, sharp wines with intriguing aromas of gunpowder, lime and sage.It has various synonyms, the best known being Blanc Fumé in Sancerre and, vice versa, Fumé Blanc in California. As far as its origins are concerned, it certainly originated in the Loire Valley, where it appeared under the name of Fiers in 1534; in Gironde, it then mated with Cabernet Franc, giving rise to one of the most popular red grape varieties in the world: Cabernet Sauvignon was born.
As mentioned at the beginning of this focus, Sauvignon is susceptible to botrytis cinerea, the noble rot that has made the fortune of the sweet, golden wines of Sauternes and Barsac in Bordeaux.

Morphology and vinification

Etymologically speaking, its name derives from sauvage, meaning wild because of the shape of its leaves, which resemble those of wild vines.
It is a fairly strong variety, which finds fertile soil in the hills and plains and prefers cool, temperate climates; it ripens early, and prefers lean soils, which repay it in expressiveness and personality. The bunch is small, spherical and compact. The skin is thick, sometimes speckled, while the flesh is sweet and aromatic. During the production phase, the grapes are first destemmed, then briefly left to macerate and then gently pressed; the must obtained is then clarified by decanting. Fermentation generally takes place in stainless steel containers or in oak barrels, but it is mainly through fermentation in steel that Sauvignon maintains its liveliness and aromatic freshness.

Genetics and aromatics

There are at least two biotypes, the small or yellow Sauvignon and the less common Sauvignon grosso or green Sauvignon, which corresponds to Sauvignonasse, similar to Tocai Friulano. This is a semi-aromatic vine that, in its dry version, has a typical straw-yellow colour with green hues, and an aroma of great aromatic impact, which changes according to the level of ripeness of the grapes, giving notes of sage, thyme, tomato leaf, asparagus and pepper on the herbaceous side, passing through green fruits such as gooseberry but also blackcurrant, lime, pink pepper, grapefruit and passion fruit, but it is worth noting that, especially in the 1980s, sommeliers were fond of pointing out a scent that was not exactly noble, but which gives an idea of the peculiar sensation of some Sauvignons: that of cat's pee, otherwise known as boxwood.
According to botanists, such penetrating fragrances typical of this grape variety are due to the high concentration of methoxypyrazines, which are organic aromatic compounds influenced by climate, sunlight and the timing of grape harvesting during the grape harvest, the intensity of which decreases in heavier soils. Along with these, Denis Dubourdieu, professor at the University of Bordeaux, highlighted the importance of other molecules, the thiols, which develop after alcoholic fermentation. Thiols present a range of aromas from sage to grapefruit to passion fruit, with even slightly smoky notes.
The flavour of Sauvignon is distinctly fresh and assertive, with a good acid shoulder, while remaining moderately soft. White peach, Fuji apple and nettle are perceived on the palate. The aftertaste may also be reminiscent of pink grapefruit and passion fruit. Sauvignon is usually drunk young, with the exception of Bordeaux Sauvignons and those from the Loire Valley, but as mentioned above, even some Italian Sauvignons, not least that of Tenuta Montauto, have considerable ambitions in terms of ageing.