Editing Sauvignon blanc (section)

==Wine regions==
===Australia===
In Australia, particularly the [[Margaret River, Western Australia|Margaret River]] region, the grape is often blended with [[Sémillon]]. [[Varietal]] styles, made from only the Sauvignon blanc grape, from [[Adelaide Hills wine region|Adelaide Hills]] and [[Padthaway wine region|Padthaway]] have a style distinctive from their New Zealand neighbors that tend to be more ripe in flavor with white peach and lime notes and slightly higher acidity.<ref name="Clarke p. 225"/>

===Chile and Brazil===
In the early 1990s, [[ampelography|ampelographers]] began to distinguish Sauvignon blanc from Sauvignonasse plantings in Chile. The character of non-blended Chilean Sauvignon blanc are noticeably less acidic than the wines of New Zealand and more similar to the French style that is typical of [[Chilean wine]]s. The region of [[Valparaíso Region|Valparaíso]] is the most notable area for Sauvignon blanc in Chile due to its cooler climate which allows the grapes to be picked up to six weeks later than in other parts of Chile. In Brazil, ampelographers have discovered that the vines called Sauvignon blanc planted in the region are really [[Seyval blanc]].<ref name="Clarke p. 225"/>

===France===
[[File:Dageneau Pouilly Fume.JPG|left|thumb|A Pouilly Fumé from the Loire Valley]]

In [[France]], Sauvignon blanc is grown in the [[Climate categories in viticulture#Maritime climates|maritime climate]] of Bordeaux (especially in Entre-Deux-Mers, Graves and Pessac-Léognan as a dry wine, and in Sauternes as a sweet wine) as well as the [[Climate categories in viticulture#Continental climates|continental climate]] of the Loire Valley (as [[Pouilly Fumé]], [[Sancerre (wine)|Sancerre]], and Sauvignon de [[Touraine]]). The climates of these areas are particularly favorable in slowing the ripening on the vine, allowing the grape more time to develop a balance between its acidity and sugar levels. This balance is important in the development of the intensity of the wine's aromas. [[Winemakers]] in France pay careful attention to the ''[[terroir]]'' characteristics of the soil and the different elements that it can impart to the wine. The [[chalk]] and Kimmeridgean [[marl]] of Sancerre and Pouilly produces wines of richness and complexity while areas with more compact chalk soils produces wines with more finesse and perfume. The [[gravel]] soil found near the river [[Loire]] and its tributaries impart spicy, floral and mineral flavors while in Bordeaux, the wines have a fruitier personality. Vines planted in [[flint]] tend to produce the most vigorous and longest lasting wines.<ref name="Clarke p. 222"/>

Pouilly Fumé originate from the town of [[Pouilly-sur-Loire]], located directly across the Loire River from the commune of [[Sancerre]]. The soil here is very flinty with deposits of [[limestone]], which the locals believed imparted a smoky, gunflint flavor to the wine, and hence ''Fumé'', the French word for "smoky", was attached to the wine.<ref name="MacNeil p. 272">K. MacNeil. ''The Wine Bible'', p. 272, Workman Publishing 2001. {{ISBN|1-56305-434-5}}.</ref> Along with Sémillon, [[Muscadelle]] and [[Ugni blanc]], Sauvignon blanc is one of only four white grapes allowed in the production of white [[Bordeaux wine]]. Mostly used as a blending grape, Sauvignon blanc is the principal grape in [[Château Margaux]]'s ''Pavillon Blanc'',<ref name="MacNeil p. 122-123">K. MacNeil ''The Wine Bible'' p. 123 Workman Publishing 2001. {{ISBN|1-56305-434-5}}.</ref> In the northern [[Rhône (wine region)|Rhône]] Valley, Sauvignon Blanc is often blended with [[Tressallier]] to form a tart white wine.<ref name="Robinson p. 120">J. Robinson. ''Vines, Grapes & Wines'', p. 120, Mitchell Beazley 1986. {{ISBN|1-85732-999-6}}.</ref>

[[File:Rothschild white Bordeaux.jpg|right|thumb|A dry white Bordeaux made from a blend of Sauvignon blanc and Sémillon]]

In the Sauternes region, the grape is blended with Sémillon to make the [[late harvest wine]], ''Sauternes''. The composition of Sauvignon blanc varies from producer and can range from 5-50% with the ''[[First growth|Premier Cru Supérieur]]'' Château d'Yquem using 20%. A traditional practice often employed in Sauternes is to plant one Sauvignon Blanc vine at regular intervals among rows of [[Sémillon]]. However, Sauvignon blanc's propensity to ripen 1–2 weeks earlier can lead the grapes to lose some of their intensity and aroma as they hang longer on the vine. This has prompted more producers to isolate their parcels of Sauvignon blanc.<ref name="Robinson p. 124">J. Robinson ''Vines, Grapes & Wines'' p. 124 Mitchell Beazley 1986. {{ISBN|1-85732-999-6}}.</ref>

Near the edge of the [[Chablis]] commune is an AOC called [[Saint-Bris AOC|Saint-Bris]] that is gaining attention for its Sauvignon blanc production.<ref name="Kramer">M. Kramer. ''Saved by Sauvignon'', The Wine Spectator, p. 36, July 31, 2007.</ref>

===New Zealand===
[[File:Marlborough Sauvignon blanc.jpg|left|thumb|A Sauvignon blanc from Marlborough]]

In the 1990s, Sauvignon blanc wines from the maritime climatic regions of [[New Zealand]], particularly the [[South Island]], became popular on the wine market. In the [[Marlborough wine region]], sandy soils over [[slate]] shingles have become the most desirable locations for plantings due to the good drainage of the soil and poor fertility that encourages the vine to concentrate its flavors in lower yields. In the flood plain of the [[Wairau River]] Valley, the soil runs in east-west bands across the area. This can create a wide diversity of flavors for vineyards that are planted north-south with the heavier soils producing more herbaceous wines from grapes that ripen late and vines planted in stonier soils ripening earlier and imparting more lush and tropical flavors. It is this difference in soils, and the types of harvest time decisions that wine producers must make, that add a unique element to New Zealand Sauvignon blanc.<ref name="Clarke p. 222"/>

The long narrow geography of the South Island ensures that no vineyard is more than {{convert|80|mi|km}} from the coast. The cool, maritime climate of the area allows for a long and steady growing season in which the grapes can ripen and develop a natural balance of acids and sugars. This brings out the flavors and intensity that distinguish New Zealand Sauvignon blancs.<ref name="MacNeil p. 807">K. MacNeil. ''The Wine Bible'', p. 807, Workman Publishing 2001. {{ISBN|1-56305-434-5}}.</ref> More recently, [[Canterbury (wine)|Waipara]] in the [[South Island]] and [[Gisborne (wine)|Gisborne]] and [[Hawke's Bay wine region|Hawkes Bay]] in the [[North Island]] have been attracting attention for their Sauvignon blanc releases, which often exhibit subtle differences to those from Marlborough. The asparagus, gooseberry and green flavor commonly associated with New Zealand Sauvignon blanc is derived from flavor compounds known as [[methoxypyrazines]] that becomes more pronounced and concentrated in wines from cooler climate regions.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Marais |first1=J. |last2=Hunter |first2=J. J. |last3=Haasbroek |first3=P. D. |year=1999 |title=Effect of canopy microclimate, season and region on sauvignon blanc grape composition and wine quality |journal=South African Journal of Enology and Viticulture |volume=20 |issue=1 |pages=19–30 |url=http://www.sasev.org/journal-sajev/sajev-articles/volume-20-1/art3%20microclimate%20season%20and%20region%20effects%20on%20sauvignon%20blanc%20quality.pdf/view}}.</ref> Riper flavors such as passion fruit, along with other notes such as boxwood, may be driven by [[thiol]] concentrations.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Tominaga |first1=T. |last2=Baltenweck-Guyot |first2=R. |last3=Peyrot des Gachons |first3=C. |last4=Dubourdieu |first4=D. |year=2000 |title=Contribution of volatile thiols to the aromas of white wines made from several ''Vitis vinifera'' grape varieties |journal=American Journal of Enology and Viticulture |volume=51 |issue=2 |pages=178–181 |doi=10.5344/ajev.2000.51.2.178 |s2cid=101026626 |url=http://www.ajevonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/51/2/178|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

===North America===
[[File:Chinook Yakima Sauv blanc.jpg|right|thumb|A Sauvignon blanc from the Yakima Valley of Washington State]]
[[File:California Sauvignon blanc.jpg|left|thumb|A California Sauvignon blanc]]

In North America, California is the leading producer of Sauvignon blanc with plantings also found in the [[Washington wine|Washington state]] and on the [[Short Hills Bench]] of the [[Niagara Peninsula]] and [[Okanagan Valley (wine region)|Okanagan Valley]] in Canada. Sauvignon Blanc is also grown in small regions in [[Ohio (wine)|Ohio]] along Lake Erie and the Ohio River. In California wine produced from the Sauvignon blanc grape is also known as Fumé Blanc. This [[California wine]] was first made by [[Napa Valley AVA|Napa Valley]]'s [[Robert Mondavi]] Winery in 1968. Mondavi had been offered a crop of particularly good Sauvignon blanc [[grape]]s by a grower. At that time the variety had a poor reputation in California due to its grassy flavor and aggressive aromas. Mondavi decided to try to tame that aggressiveness with [[oak (wine)|barrel agings]] and released the wine under the name Fumé Blanc as an allusion to the French [[Pouilly-Fumé]].<ref name="Robinson p. 124"/> The usage of the term is primarily a [[marketing]] base one with California wine makers choosing whichever name they prefer. Both oaked and unoaked Sauvignon blanc wines have been marketed under the name Fumé Blanc.<ref name="MacNeil p. 647">K. MacNeil. ''The Wine Bible'', p. 647, Workman Publishing 2001. {{ISBN|1-56305-434-5}}.</ref> California Sauvignon blancs tend to fall into two styles. The New Zealand-influenced Sauvignon blanc have more grassy undertones with citrus and passion fruit notes. The Mondavi-influenced Fumé Blanc are more round with melon notes.<ref name="Clarke p. 225"/>

===Other regions===
Sauvignon blanc is also beginning to gain prominence in areas like [[South Africa]]'s [[Stellenbosch]] and [[Durbanville]] and [[Italy]]'s [[Collio Goriziano]] areas.<ref name="Kramer"/> It is also one of the main ingredients in [[Muffato della Sala]], one of Italy's most celebrated sweet wines.