2003 Groth Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley

Get it while its hot, folks. Or better yet, get it while it's ice cold on a sunny day. It looks like this summer is going to be a hot one, and what better to drink as the hills get golden in Northern California than some outstanding Sauvignon Blanc.

One of my favorite aspects of this varietal is how many different aromas it is capable of. Good winemakers can coax all manner of floral and fruit characteristics out of this grape. Groth certainly falls into that category of "good winemakers" in my book. I've known them for a while based on reputation, but up until recently I had never tried their wine. At the suggestion of a friend I recently tasted their 2000 Cabernet which was very well made. Yesterday, I got the opportunity to taste some of their white wines and was, in particular, blown away by their Sauvignon Blanc. (I'm not going to post a review of it, but I can also highly recommend their Chardonnay with a score of 8.5/9 and notes of fuji apples).

Tasting Notes:
Innocuous enough in the glass, this wine has very little color, but bring it to your nose and let the fireworks begin. The notes that I wrote down about the aroma read "holy sh*t - green apple suprise." Indeed, the bouquet is laden with juicy green apple and gardenia scents that literally made my mouth water. On the toungue it is crisp with just the right amount of acidity, and I swear on my life, tastes like liquid night blooming Jasmine flowers. When I taste wines for notes, I always spit, but this wine I swallowed without a second thought.

Food Pairing:
My favorite thing to eat with Sauvignon Blanc is goat cheese, and because of the fruit character of this wine, I'd pair it with something straightforward like a warm goat cheese salad with grilled olive bread. However, I plan on drinking this wine (as soon as I can get my hands on a case or two) paired with nothing but a sunny day on my back porch and the woman I love.

Overall Score: 9.5/10

How Much?: Last years vintage was $13

This wine will be officially released in April (only weeks away) and some retailers are already selling it.

Posted by: Alder on March 23, 2004 9:37 AM: Tweet; Share this post elsewhere: Digg it! - Add to del.icio.us - Add to Stumbleupon - Add to Reddit; Filed under: White Wine , Wine Reviews , Wines under $20

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Comments (2)

mccislcm wrote:

04.07.07 at 10:19 AM

I'm going to try this out on your rec, but it raises a question in my head: why is there such a huge price differential with the Groth Cab Sauv?

Alder wrote:

04.07.07 at 10:31 AM

Because Sauvignon Blanc is almost impossible to sell when it costs more than $25 a bottle, and because it is a lot cheaper to make (not requiring those expensive oak barrels, for instance).