This $11 bottle packs a ‘Strong’ punch of aroma, flavor, and value

Sauvignon blanc is a grape known for producing aromatic white wines, meaning those which feature a more intense and more distinctive fragrance than the norm.

One might expect fresh sauvignon blanc grapes to taste just as distinctive, but this is not the case. The signature flavors of citrus, green herbs, white flowers, and tropical fruit found in sauvignon blanc wines like this one are noticeable only after fermentation into wine. Wine’s scent and flavor are driven by a complex array of volatile organic compounds like esters and aldehydes, terpenes and ketones. While many of these are already present in the fresh fruit before winemaking begins, most are bound up with sugars and will not become detectable until they are unlocked and set free by fermentation. Other components are generated by the complex chemical reactions of the winemaking process itself, or by the maturation of wine in oak barrels before bottling.

Like many sauvignon blancs from California, this wine offers many of the style’s familiar aromatics. Fruity esters provide a solid base of lemon and grapefruit flavors, while mercaptans add a tropical accent of passion fruit or guava. Methoxypyrazines contribute a scent of fresh yellow bell peppers and are balanced by subtle floral notes reminiscent of elderflower that derive from terpenes, the same class of aromatic compounds that provide flavor interest in hops and cannabis.

$10.99, 13.5% alcohol

PLCB Item #9671

Sale price through 8/1 — regularly $15.99

Canal’s Bottlestop in Marlton — $11.49, www.canalswine.com/;

Kreston Wine & Spirits in Wilmington — $12.33, www.krestonwines.com/;

Canal’s in Mount Ephraim — $12.99, http://mycanals.com/.