A sauvignon blanc from Dave Matthews that won’t break the bank
Sauvignon blanc ripens fast, produces many fruits, and doesn't taste better with age. That doesn't mean it lacks vibrancy or flavor.
Some styles of wine are better equipped to deliver good value for the dollar than others. Among white wines, it’s hard to beat sauvignon blanc on this front, regardless of where it’s made. The grape’s ability to perform admirably for a bargain is thanks to its superpowers in the vineyard and its efficient fermentation process.
Sauvignon blanc may be better known as one of the green grapes grown in the Bordeaux region for blended white wines, but it’s native to an even cooler and cloudier region farther north: the upper reaches of the Loire Valley of northern France. Here, dicey weather in both spring and fall make it difficult for most grapevines to reliably ripen their fruit. Sauvignon blanc vines were adopted widely centuries ago because of three unusual characteristics that made them the safest choice for local farmers. First, sauvignon blanc is extremely vigorous, able to produce more shoots, leaves, and fruit clusters than the norm. Second, its grapes ripen faster than usual and can be ready for harvest weeks earlier, reducing exposure to crop risks like stormy weather or hungry flocks of birds. Finally, where high crop volume and fast ripening leaves most grapes tasting diluted and a little flat (think cheap pinot grigio), sauvignon blanc is so high in natural acidity and aromatic compounds that it can pull this off without losing its vibrancy of flavor.
On top of these advantages, sauvignon blanc also tastes best as an unoaked dry white wine. It doesn’t improve much with age. Instead, sauvignon blanc is fermented and bottled so quickly that it’s generally the first new wine to be released in any vintage, further reducing its production cost.
No wonder, then, that sauvignon blanc is often the best value in any wine brand’s line up — as with this example from The Dreaming Tree, a line of wines created by the musician Dave Matthews alongside a winemaker friend. Brisk, refreshing, and on the lighter side for a California white, it features flavors of lemongrass, kiwifruit, and crisp Granny Smith apples that make it a no-brainer to keep around the house.
The Dreaming Tree Sauvignon Blanc
California; 13.5% ABV
PLCB Item #1220 — on sale for $13.99 through April 5 (regularly $16.99)
Also available at: Canal’s Liquors in Pennsauken ($12.91; canals-liquors-pennsauken.myshopify.com); Total Wine & More in Cherry Hill ($12.97; totalwine.com); and WineWorks in Marlton ($12.98; wineworksonline.com)