Sauvignon Blanc is the main grape of many of the great white wines of Bordeaux, and the only grape in the Loire Valley's Pouilly-Fume and Sancerre wines and is also found in a host of Sauvignons and Fume Blancs from outside France. And in many great white wines both dry and sweet it also adds nerve and zest to its most common blending partner Semillon. Sauvignon Blanc seems to have its origins in Bordeaux, where it has been enjoying a revival in popularity.

This grapes most recognizable characteristic is its piercing, instantly recognizable aroma. Typical descriptions include grassy, herbaceous, musky, green fruits especially gooseberries, and even tomcats. Over production on heavy soils can produce wines only vaguely suggestive of this but Sauvignon cautiously cultivated in the vineyards of the Loire can reach the dry white apogee of Sauvignon fruit with some of the purest, most refreshingly zesty wines in the world. In the coolness of the Loire Valley in France, or the Marlborough region of New Zealand, Sauvignon Blanc shows the character of only-just-ripe green fruit such as gooseberry or green plums, with very high, piercing acidity. In the warmer areas of California or Bordeaux, the fruit quality may be closer to that of apricots.

The vine is particularly vigorous, and this causes problems when the vegetation gets out of hand and the grapes fail to reach maturity resulting in wines that are aggressively herbaceous, almost rank. A low-vigor rootstock and canopy management can help combat this problem.

Classic growing areas: Bordeaux- Graves, Entre deux Mers, Sauternes
Loire- Pouilly-Fume, Sancerre, Quincy
Northeastern Italy- Friuli, Alto Adige, Collio

New growing areas: New Zealand- Marlborough
United States- Washington State, California
South Africa- Stolenbosch
Chile- Maipo Valley
Italy- Tuscany