Few whites are as out of fashion as Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc, whose pungent aromas contrast with the more restrained wines of the grape’s Loire Valley home. There, domaines such as François Cotat and Benjamin Dagueneau make elegant wines with high-acid freshness, medium to full body, and blackcurrant, nettle and chalk aromas, the latter partly down to the fact that Sancerre vineyards are located on the same band of Kimmeridgian limestone as Chablis. Other great Sauvignons are found in South Africa and Bordeaux, where the grape is the junior partner to Sémillon in the blend of two of France’s most prestigious whites, Château Haut-Brion Blanc and Château d’Yquem.
